Most employees who are involved in an accident
while working are entitled to financial compensation for any injuries they suffered.
Workers’ compensation provides employees with
remuneration for temporary and permanent disabilities along with health-related
expenses. If you are injured on the job, it is important to report your injury to your employer or supervisor as soon as possible. If you believe you have a valid workers' compensation claim, it is best to speak with a Work Comp Attorney to ensure that your claim is protected.
Kinds of Workers’ Compensation Benefits
Several kinds of benefits are available for
employees injured while at work without taking into consideration who caused
the accident that resulted to the injury. However, the state will determine the
kind of benefit an employee should receive.
Normally, compensation is given to injured
employees for:
- Limited permanent physical disability
- Complete physical disability
- Health-related expenses
- Temporary physical disability while being incapable of working
The remuneration is normally a part of the previous
actual income for temporary physical disability.
Kinds of Injuries Included Under Workers’ Compensation
Four main types of injuries allow employees to
receive workers’ compensation. These types of injuries include the following:
- Work-related illnesses
- Psychological Illnesses
- Traumatic Physical Injury
- Recurring trauma Injury
The most common kind of injury that can lead to a
workers’ compensation claim is traumatic physical injury. A single accident
will result to this type of injury.
The second most common kind of injury that can lead
to a workers’ compensation claim is repetitive physical injury. This type of
injury normally develops after a particular time period. For instance,
repetitive actions of an employee while in an assembly line for a number of
hours every day, the hands, arms, elbows and shoulders of the employee can be
damaged due to continuous physical strain.
Psychological damage may be eligible for a workers’
compensation claim if it is linked to physical injuries. Emotional trauma may
result from physical injuries, like when a limb is unexpectedly severed. The
psychological anxiety is aggravated from the monetary effects due to the
physical injury, like health-related expenses and loss of income since the employee
cannot work.
Psychological injuries can be claimed if the
employee witnesses an incident at the workplace that can result to
psychological anxiety, like a traumatic physical injury experienced by a
colleague. A valid workers’ compensation claim can be filed in some states for
unwarranted anxieties while working.
Some states allow employees to claim remuneration
for work-related illness for some types of jobs. It will be necessary to
provide evidence that the disease resulted from working and is not the result
of ordinary life situations in order to receive remuneration for this workers’
compensation claim.
Receiving Workers’ Compensation Benefits
A claim should be filed by the employee with the employer to receive
workers' compensation benefits. The claim should be filed as soon as possible
since there is a limitation to the period of time for a claim to be filed. The
state will determine the period of time a claim can be filed.
The insurance company will be notified by the
employer. If the liability is accepted by both the employer and insurance
company, the claim will be prepared and the employee will receive the benefits.
However, if the claim is denied by the
employer and insurance company, the claim can be submitted by the employee to
the appropriate agency of the state. The state will determine the time period
when the claim can be submitted. The employee can also take into consideration
getting the services of a competent KansasCity Missouri workers compensation lawyer if the original claim is denied.
Contact our Kansas City Law Office at (816) 256-4300 to speak with a qualified workers' compensation attorney with over 20 years of experience.
photo credit: photoguyinmo via Flickr
