What Benefits are Available Under Workers’ Compensation?
Workers’ compensation benefits cover all treatment related to your work injury or occupational disease; if applicable, they also pay for your training for a new job or for part of the income you lost due to your injury.
Workers’ compensation benefits are supposed to pay for everything related to a work injury, but what is included in the definition of everything? Why do so many people end up in worse financial shape after a work injury, even if workers’ compensation benefits pay for what they are supposed to pay for? For help getting the benefits to which you are entitled on your workers’ compensation claim, contact an Omaha workers’ compensation lawyer.
Which Medical Expenses Do Workers’ Compensation Benefits Cover?
The purpose of workers’ compensation laws is for employers to cover the treatment of workers’ injuries resulting from work accidents without the worker having to file a personal injury lawsuit and without a court or insurance company having to decide whether the employer’s negligence caused the accident. By employing workers, employers assume the responsibility that accidental injuries can happen in the workplace even when everyone upholds safety standards.
Employers should cover all treatment directly related to the work injury. This includes doctor’s office visits, hospital stays, surgery, prescription drugs, medical devices, and physical therapy. The catch is that the insurance company might make excuses about which symptoms are related to the work injury and which are due to pre-existing conditions. They might also insist that the cheapest treatments are the most appropriate ones.
Vocational Rehabilitation Benefits
Workers’ comp can also help if your injuries are so severe that you cannot resume your previous job even after reaching maximum medical improvement. If this happens, you are entitled to vocational rehabilitation benefits, which pay for your training for a less physically demanding job. These benefits also include career counseling.
Total and Partial Disability Payments
In the context of workers’ comp, disability payments replace a portion of your wages when you are out of work due to an injury. Total disability benefits are when you are unable to work at all. Partial disability benefits are for when you can only do a light-duty version of your previous job, and they replace part of the difference between your pre-injury wage and your current wage. Total or partial disability benefits can be permanent if your injuries are severe and you cannot train for a new job.
Contact Andres Law Offices, PC LLO, About Workers’ Compensation Claims
An Omaha workers’ compensation lawyer can help you understand your rights under workers’ compensation laws and get the benefits to which you are entitled. Contact Andres Law Offices, PC LLO in Omaha, Nebraska, about your case.