Every workers’ compensation case has different variables that play into what benefits you may receive. When you are injured on the job, you do have access to workers’ comp, but someone else’s injury might warrant different benefits than your own, so you shouldn’t just assume you are entitled to any particular type of compensation. The following gives a brief rundown of the types of possible benefits you may be able to claim through workers’ compensation.
Medical Care Expenses
Every workers’ compensation case involves some type of medical care expenses. You may have gone in an ambulance to the emergency room, and will need compensation for both services. You might have multiple doctor’s visits or surgeries that need to be compensated. Medication, wheelchairs and other specialized equipment might be a part of your medical care as well.
Keep in mind that every state and every insurance policy have different regulations regarding your health care provider. Aside from emergency services, you may have to get approval to see a certain doctor in order for workers’ comp to cover it. Be sure you figure this out before scheduling and attending any doctor’s appointments.
Rehabilitation Expenses
Rehabilitation may include physical therapy, training to regain lost work skills or vocational rehab that will help you obtain new employment. If you don’t have to regain lost skills or train for a new job, you may still be entitled to this benefit if your injury requires physical therapy to fully recover.
Disability Costs
There are four categories within disability and workers’ compensation. This type of benefit is made to compensate you for the wages you would lose while you are unable to work. They include:
- Temporary Total – Most workers’ comp disability benefits fit in this category. It means you can’t work at all right now, but you will be able to at a future date after you have recovered.
- Temporary Partial – This means you are only partially disabled for a short amount of time, but will be able to get back to your full work hours in the future. For example, you might only have clearance to work for three hours a day until a certain point of recovery, instead of your regular eight, but will get back to eight as soon as you hit that recovery point.
- Permanent Partial – This type of benefit is for individuals who have a permanent impairment that only limits their ability to do their full work. For example, they may be limited to three hours of work per day for the rest of their lives, never getting back to their typical eight hours.
- Permanent Total – This would be a benefit to compensate an individual who is injured so extensively, he or she would never be able to return to any type of work at all.
Learning More
As you navigate this new world of workplace injuries and workers’ compensation, speak with a lawyer about the benefits you might be entitled to. Contact a workers’ compensation attorney, like a workers comp lawyer in Northern New Jersey from Rispoli & Borneo, P.C., today to learn more.