Different Types of Workers’ Compensation Benefits

Working is a way of life. You, like most people, need a source of income, and your job is it. Without this money coming in, you can’t do things like pay bills, buy food and maintain health benefits for your family.

What happens, then, if you get hurt at work? If you and your company meet the basic qualifications for workers’ compensation coverage, then you have the option to file an injury claim. Doing this will kickstart the investigative process that may wind up getting you help in the form of workers’ compensation benefits. Find out more about the basic types of benefits you may be eligible to receive.

Medical Care and Treatment

Anytime you find yourself hurt or sick at work, seek medical treatment. To file a workers’ compensation claim, you need to have medical documentation of the injury and the treatment administered. You may see any facility or practitioner at the onset. If you tell your supervisor you need medical attention, they may refer you to a specific occupational clinic that their workers’ compensation carrier has a contract with. Once a claim is opened, the carrier will want to investigate the incident and the medical treatment plan. As long as the incident happened as you reported it, the insurer should pay out medical benefits to the providers who help you directly. If you do pay something out of pocket, the carrier should reimburse you at some point.

Disability Wages

If you can’t work, you can’t make money. After a workers’ compensation claim is filed, the carrier may begin paying temporary disability benefits. These are supplemental wages and are typically not your full salary. The percentage you receive depends on the state in which you live and the type of injury you suffered. When an injury is severe and requires multiple surgeries or long-term rehabilitation, the doctors may find you permanently disabled. If you cannot return to work because of a work accident, you may be eligible for permanent disability benefits for the rest of your life.

Rehabilitative Care

Some injuries require time and therapy to get through. Workers’ compensation insurance benefits should cover any kind of rehabilitative care your injury requires for as long as the doctors believe you need it. This involves things such as:

  • Physical therapy
  • In-patient care at a rehabilitative facility
  • Mental and emotional therapy
  • Medication

A workers’ compensation claim may be the only way you receive the care your injury requires. A workers’ compensation lawyer, like a workers comp attorney in Newark from Rispoli & Borneo, P.C., may provide you with any further assistance on the details of your case.