Employees Should Understand how Workers Compensation Operates
Getting hurt at the job can be painful in more ways than one. Not only is a person physically injured, but he or she can lose income due to the injury. What’s more, there can be medical bills to deal with. Fortunately, most employees today are covered by a program known as Worker’s Compensation.
Things began to change around 1911, when American states began adopting their own models of worker protection laws that had been put into place in England and Germany about 30 years earlier. Now states manage 55 different workers insurance programs, and most employers are required by law to possess such insurance.
The program covers only those injuries or illnesses that can be proven to be job-related. For example, a worker hurt in a car wreck as he’s leaving the company parking lot wouldn’t be covered by worker’s compensation, but a delivery driver who’s hurt when his truck is hit by another truck would be covered. Someone who breaks a leg falling from a ladder at work would be covered, but someone who breaks an arm playing on the company softball team wouldn’t be eligible.
If a worker is seriously injured or ill, worker’s compensation also will pay for vocational rehabilitation such as physical therapy or training for a different job. Some programs also pay workers for loss of future earnings, if the injury prevents them from continuing in a higher-paying occupation than they can pursue because of a disability. If a worker is killed on the job, the program pays funeral costs and survivors may receive benefits to replace the deceased’s lost wages.
If a worker is seriously injured or ill, worker’s compensation also will pay for vocational rehabilitation such as physical therapy or training for a different job. Some programs also pay workers for loss of future earnings, if the injury prevents them from continuing in a higher-paying occupation than they can pursue because of a disability. If a worker is killed on the job, the program pays funeral costs and survivors may receive benefits to replace the deceased’s lost wages.
It’s essential that workers who are hurt while working or who become ill because of their working conditions file a worker’s compensation claim immediately. If the worker suspects that the employer or the company’s insurance vendor may dispute his or her claim, it may also be a good idea to consult an attorney. Lawyers who specialize in worker’s compensation law are skilled and experienced in making sure that employees receive all the recompense they’re entitled to under the law. Most employees are covered by worker’s compensation programs, except those in small businesses with five or fewer employees, domestic workers, agricultural workers and independent contractors.
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