Injuries at work can be a huge problem for many reasons. You may not be able to do the job you were hired to do or even a new one that would pay more money. But there is also the issue of lost wages and medical bills, which are an enormous burden on your family. This article will show how you can regain some of those benefits back after suffering from a work-related injury.
Workers Compensation
If you have suffered an injury at work this is your first stop when looking to reclaim lost benefits. They are there to help you receive the medical attention you need, temporary wage replacement while you are unable to work, and permanent disability benefits if needed. There are different systems in place for every state but they all work basically the same way.
All that is required of you is that once your injury has been reported at work that you visit your state’s workers compensation program website and contact them to start the process. You can also do this by phone or with the help of your lawyer, but there is no need to wait for any of these before addressing the issue.
Hire a Lawyer
A lawyer can help you in a lot of ways. A trusted disability lawyer can get back lost benefits and help you to get the treatment and counseling that is necessary for your recovery. He can also negotiate with the insurance company or employer on your behalf. You should hire a lawyer as soon as possible after you have been injured at work, especially if you are having problems getting your benefits back.
A work-related injury is no good for anyone since it can be hard to do your job again. That is why you should do everything you can to recover as fast as possible and get back all of your lost benefits, including wages, medical expenses, and more. With the right help from a good lawyer, this will not be too difficult.
Types of Benefits You Can Get
Temporary Total Disability (TTD)
This is a kind of insurance that you receive from your employer if you are injured at work. TTD pays temporary benefits to cover your lost wages and medical expenses while not being able to work. You will not be receiving a percentage of what you made before the injury, but rather a set amount that is determined by your wages, the number of dependents you have, and how many weeks this insurance will be paying out.
Temporary Partial Disability (TPD)
This type of payment is made to workers that are unable to work because of a work-related injury, but not for any particular length of time. This kind of insurance reimburses an employee for the percentage of their lost wages that were caused by the injury. For example, if you are working part-time to make ends meet, then any money you receive will be based on this amount instead of what you used to make at your full-time job.
Permanent Partial Disability (PPD)
This is another type of benefit that you may receive from your employer if you are injured at work. PPD pays benefits to cover any loss of income or physical impairment that results from an injury. You will only receive a percentage of the wages you were previously making, which is based on how much percentage your body can tolerate even after intensive therapy and treatment.
Permanent Total Disability (PTD)
This is the last type of benefit that you may receive from your employers if you are injured at work. PTD pays benefits to cover any loss of income or physical impairment that results from an injury, but only until death. It does not matter whether this happens in days, weeks, months, years, or decades after the workplace injury, you will still receive the same amount of money as long as you live.
This type of benefit is usually reserved for those that have suffered a traumatic brain injury and suffer from mental problems like memory loss and other serious side effects. It can also be used to compensate anyone who has had a limb amputated due to an accident at work or to cover any other life-changing injury.
Get a Doctors Report
Whenever you are injured at work you should of course visit a doctor. Get a written report of your injury and what it is expected to recover from. These reports are very important in getting back some of the lost benefits since they will show if you still qualify for them or not. Notify your boss about your injury and make sure he gets a copy of the report.
If you are injured at work it is most likely that you will not be able to do your job until you recover, which means loss of income. Make sure not to work until you can do your job again or for more than a couple of hours per day if the doctor says so. If this is not possible file for temporary disability benefits through your state’s workers compensation program.
Get Yourself Into Rehab
Many times when you are injured at work you will need physical therapy or some other type of rehab. This means that you will need time off from work and the only way to get that is if it is related to your injury. If your doctor decides that you need rehab he should be able to help you file the right paper with the insurance company and give them a report giving them permission for those expenses.
This is a very important part of getting back the lost benefits and something your lawyer should be able to help you with.
It’s always a struggle to know what benefits you will receive after an injury at work because it depends on the severity of your injury. If you are not sure about how much time off or other benefits you may qualify for, then make sure to speak with your doctor and boss right away. They should be able to help file paperwork so that you can get back some of those lost benefits soon. It is also important not to rush anything during the recovery process since injuries sometimes take months or even years before they heal completely. The more rest and care that goes into recovering from an accident at a work-related injury, the better off people usually feel in the long run.
