Is Your Workers Compensation Claim Enough?
If you've been injured on the job, you're entitled to compensation. Workers compensation covers medical costs and a percentage of your pay while you recover, but that may not be enough. Although there are a few provisions and special options depending on your state of employment or residence, you may need to take legal action to get greater compensation from other sources. Here are a few workplace injury compensation details to help you understand your options.
What Does Workers Compensation Cover?
The standard workers compensation features will cover medical expenses. This includes your initial medical visit and any future, related medical expenses. Although many injuries are straightforward and will have obvious connections when referred to specialists, you need to take special care when visiting different doctors.
Depending on the state and workers compensation claim backlog, you could be dealing with a claims office that is in a rush. This may lead to a medical bill that doesn't obviously look like part of your injury being denied or submitted for an additional review.
It's not malice or mean-spirited claims officials in most cases; paperwork is simply a nightmare, and you can stay ahead of the problem by submitting any bills with a statement showing how the treatment is related to your claim.
The reason for the scrutiny is that some people may use workers compensation to solve their other health problems. It's up to the doctor if they're already performing surgery and can handle an addition snip or cut to take care of another issue, but if you're going to a doctor for a broken leg and want to get a new pair of fashionable glasses from an optometrist, you're likely going to get denied.
Additional Financial Support
Another part of workers compensation is the wage and salary support. Most states provide a specific percentage of your pay, and that percentage varies depending on the state. 66 2/3% is a commonly cited number by many states, but some states may go higher. Some states have specific injury rates that are subject to change, such as North Carolina's injury and compensation duration policy.
You can ask for more money, but the potential for additional pay varies by state as well. Some states will give you a temporary benefit from programs such as Social Security, food stamps, Housing and Urban Development, or state-specific programs that can cover utilities or cash payments.
If your injury was caused by someone's wrongdoing, you need to be working on a personal injury claim as well. Your company and employers are genuinely protected via workers compensation provisions except for extreme cases of incompetence, negligence, or malice, but if the injury was caused by equipment or a work-related product, you could sue the vendor or manufacturer.
Contact a workers compensation lawyer to discuss potential benefits.