Worker’s compensation benefits fall into these categories: medical and indemnity. The laws in most states offer certain benefits to workers injured on the job, such as medical care, vocational rehabilitation and disability pay. Click here to learn more about the worker’s compensation benefit system.
Medical Benefits
Workers injured on the job have the right to treatment necessary to relieve or cure the effects of the injury. Such care includes prescription drugs, medical bill payment, and even transportation to and from the hospital. Under some worker’s comp plans, patients may be required to go to the company’s doctor, but only for thirty days.
Temporary Disability
If an injured worker has to take medical leave from work, they may be able to receive temporary disability compensation for lost wages. There are limits to this type of compensation, but it usually averages two thirds of the worker’s gross pay per week. Payments are made biweekly, and require a doctor to verify that the patient cannot work.
Permanent Disability Awards
If a worker will never recover from their injury, they could be eligible for a permanent disability award. A permanently disabled worker has lost the ability to compete in the free labor market, and compensation depends on occupation, age, earnings when the injury occurred, and the limitations placed upon the patient.
Vocational Rehab
If a work-related injury keeps a worker from going back to their job, they may be able to get help to find another job. During this phase, the worker is typically paid a portion of their wages. A vocational rehab benefit has a limit, and can be supplanted when or if the employer offers the worker a different position within the company.
Going Back to Work
If an employee goes back to work and is paid the same or a greater wage than they earned before the injury, worker’s compensation benefits typically cease. However, if the worker’s wages continue to be affected by the injury, they may still receive benefits based on a percentage of the difference between their wages before and after the incident.
Hiring a Worker’s Compensation Lawyer in Harford County
If you have been hurt on the job, you should file a worker’s compensation report right away. If your employer disputes the claim, a Worker’s Compensation Lawyer in Harford County can help. These lawyers can explain your state’s laws, and they can help to protect your rights in court.
