Workers’ compensation benefits may include rehabilitation expenses, medical care, and disability coverage. If you have suffered a work injury or fall ill because of your job, you may already be aware that you can receive compensation through your employer or insurer.
Here’s a closer look at some of the types of workers’ compensation benefits that you can receive.
Medical Care
Medical benefits that employees can receive through workers’ comp include medical and hospital expenses that are required to identify and treat injury or illness. While the details of what is covered will vary depending on the state, compensation will generally cover doctor visits, surgeries, and medication. You may also receive compensation for equipment needed to recover such as wheelchairs.
However, you likely won’t receive compensation for investigative or experimental treatment or therapy, unless a workers’ comp attorney provides assistance.
Rehabilitation
Rehab benefits will pay for both therapeutic and medical care that’s required to help you cope with and recover from any work-related injury or illness. They also cover the training and care needed for you to restore the ability to work.
If your injury or illness inhibits your ability to return to your job, these benefits may also pay for retraining, evaluation, tuition, and other costs that come with helping you become qualified to work at a different job.
Disability
The main role of disability benefits is to compensate for lost wages as a result of injury or illness that has rendered you unable to work. Disabilities fall into four categories, including:
- Temporary total disability – When an individual is prevented from working entirely for a limited amount of time.
- Temporary partial disability – When an injury or illness prevents the employee from performing certain duties as part of their job for a limited amount of time.
- Permanent total disability – When an injury or illness prevents the individual from ever working again.
- Permanent partial disability – When damage is permanent, but the individual can still perform certain tasks in their job.
If you meet the criteria of any of these categories, you may be able to receive disability benefits. These employee worker’s compensation benefits will depend on the amount you earned prior to the injury or illness. You also won’t be required to pay taxes on the benefits, making the amount closer to your usual wages. However, you will have to wait for a period of a week or longer before you can collect the benefits.
Wrongful Death
If a person dies as a result of a work-related accident or illness, family members can receive death benefits. The amount of compensation will depend on the wages the deceased worker earned.
If you or a loved one has experienced a work-related injury or illness of any type, you should contact a workers’ comp attorney to help determine which benefits you qualify for, and receive the compensation you deserve. You don’t need to let a hazardous work environment ruin your life.