Workers’ Compensation: What You Need to Know
When one of your employees gets injured on the job, it can have negative effects on your business. If the worker’s injury was indeed suffered at work and is eligible for workers’ compensation, then you will need to work with your insurance provider to give benefits to the employee.
However, it’s important to first make sure the injury is legit and to work with a workers’ compensation attorney to ensure you don’t face further complications, like a lawsuit.
What Is Workers’ Compensation?
First of all, it’s important to understand what exactly workers’ compensation is. By definition, according to Nationwide, it provides medical expenses, lost wages, and rehabilitation costs to employees who are injured or become ill due to their work on the job. If an employee dies on the job, it can also cover death benefits to the family.
Workers’ compensation was set up to protect employees, so companies need to navigate claims with a workers’ compensation attorney to ensure they are taking the right steps, and that the claims qualify for workers’ compensation benefits.
Injuries That Are Not Covered By Workers’ Compensation
While workers’ compensation covers a lot of injuries that are suffered on the job, it does not apply to all situations. Some injuries that are usually not covered by workers’ compensation include:
- Common illnesses, such as the flu, a cold, or headaches.
- Pre-existing conditions the employee suffered from before taking the job.
- An accident that occurred due to an act of God, such as if it was weather-related.
- Getting a disease that was not caused by the workplace or job functions.
- Accidents that the employee caused by goofing around at work or not following the rules or procedures put in place.
- A heart attack.
- Injuries suffered outside of work.
- Injuries suffered while a person was committing an illegal act.
- Injuries suffered while an employee was intoxicated or under the influence of drugs.
- Injuries suffered during a fight that the employee started.
- Any self-inflicted injuries by the employee.
Benefits and Expenses That Workers’ Compensation Usually Covers
If an employee qualifies for workers’ compensation, workers’ compensation insurance will cover specific benefits and expenses, including:
- Medical care to treat the injury or illness.
- Rehabilitation care to overcome the injury.
- Payments for missed income due to the inability to work.
- Training costs to relearn how to perform job duties after the accident.
- Long-term compensation for permanent injuries.
- Benefits to family members if a person is killed while at work.
Even if covered under a workers’ compensation insurance program, these benefits can be quite costly for companies. Because of that, it’s essential to work with a workers’ compensation attorney to ensure you are paying the correct amount, and that the injury qualifies for benefits.
Why You Need a Workers’ Compensation Attorney
While you may like to think all of your employees have your company’s best interests in mind, unfortunately, sometimes people will try to file false workers’ compensation claims. This can put a large financial burden on your company. To avoid this, it’s essential to work with a workers’ compensation attorney to ensure you are only paying benefits on valid claims.
Why Hire Us
When you need a workers’ compensation attorney to help you address claims at your company, let the experts at Johnstone Adams LLC represent you.
Ranked in the 2022 U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” list regionally in 12 practice areas, we have experts in many areas of law to give our clients top-notch representation. In business for more than a century, our firm can mix its experience with the ability to evolve with the changing times.
To get started, contact us at 844-682-7682 or info@johnstoneadams.com.