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On your own, it can be easy to misunderstand the types of benefits you qualify for or to complete the complex application process. If a lawyer represents you, they will support you from start to finish, including collecting the required medical evidence. If your application is denied, a lawyer can help you file an effective appeal and keep fighting for your rights and for the benefits you need and deserve.
Workers’ Compensation Benefits for Ill or Injured Employees
Work-related injuries and illnesses can temporarily or even permanently change your life. In addition to preventing you from working, they can alter your physical appearance, ability, and agility. If one is provided, a lawyer will examine your employer’s guide to workers’ comp.
A workers’ compensation attorney can advocate for you from your initial consultation and throughout your exploration of the benefits of workers’ comp. They can represent you at any hearings where your presence is required and help you prepare if you have to testify.
What You Can Expect From Workers’ Compensation Medical Benefits
Medical treatment for injured workers starts immediately—as soon as the injury occurs. This can include medical care at the accident scene or in a nearby emergency room. Except for emergency care, you could be required to seek advanced approval for other treatments.
If your worker’s compensation claim is approved, you may receive coverage for medical expenses like:
- Hospital stays
- Doctors’ visits
- Medication
- Surgeries
- Medical equipment
- Acupuncture
- Pain management
- Wound care
If you notified your employer in advance, you might be able to receive medical care from your own physician. Otherwise, you might have to see a doctor they recommend from their network.
What You Can Expect From Workers’ Compensation Disability Benefits
Workers’ compensation coverage pays income loss benefits to injured workers. Most receive approximately two-thirds of their average weekly wages. If a lawyer handles your case, they can evaluate your wage statements to ensure you receive the correct amount of weekly compensation and avoid a potential underpayment.
The following types of disability benefits are based on the severity of your disabling condition and the limitations it places on your lifestyle and ability to work:
- Temporary partial disability compensates you for a limited time if your ability to work is reduced from your original capacity.
- Temporary total disability compensates you for a limited time if you cannot work at all.
- Permanent partial disability compensates you for a permanent disability that impairs your work capacity.
- Permanent total disability compensates you for a disability that will permanently prevent you from working.
Your disability rating will determine how your injury is characterized and, ultimately, how long you can receive benefits. Your lawyer will help ensure your disability is accurately rated.
What You Can Expect From Workers’ Compensation Rehabilitation Benefits
Depending on the extent and severity of your injury or illness, you might require long-term care to aid in your recovery or to help you cope with the limitations your current condition imposes.
Workers’ compensation will cover the costs of:
- Physical therapy
- Occupational therapy
- Speech therapy
Rehabilitative care can also take care of the costs of retraining and vocational therapy that help you return to work in a different capacity. You may need specific modifications to your workstation based on limitations forged by your injury. Vocational rehabilitation due to a work-related disability can also account for retraining and tuition costs.
What You Can Expect From Workers’ Compensation Death Benefits
If a loved one—typically a spouse or parent—was fatally injured at work or succumbed to a workplace illness, their dependents can apply for death benefits. Some or all of the decedent’s funeral and burial expenses will be covered.
The money from the comp claim also replaces the income lost by your loved one’s death. This can be important in families where the breadwinner lost their life. A local workers’ comp attorney can help your family apply for these benefits and explain state-mandated compensation caps and possible lump-sum settlements.
Learn More About Workers’ Compensation Benefits With a Free Case Review
If you or a loved one suffered a workplace injury, our law firm will review your case and help you explore the different types of workers’ compensation benefits, explain what you’re entitled to receive, and help you navigate the application process.
Start learning about your rights as an injured worker by contacting our KJT Law Group case review team at (818) 507-8525 today.
