Familiarize Yourself With How Workers Compensation Works
By Terry Stanfield
Getting hurt during the job can be painful in one way or another. Not only is a person physically injured, but he or she can lose income due to the the injury. What’’s more, there can be medical bills to deal with. Fortunately, most employees today are covered by a program which is called Worker’’s Compensation.
During the last part of the 19th century, Germany and England adopted laws designed to protect workers. These models eventually made their way to the United States, where between 1911 and 1920, most states adopted their own versions of the European laws. Today there are 55 U. S. Worker’’s compensation insurance programs, typically managed by state governments. Most states require employers to have worker’’s compensation insurance coverage, either through a state pool or from an insurance company.
While each program varies in some details, all are set up to provide monetary benefits to a worker whose injury or illness resulted from a job-related accident or from the conditions of employment. Examples of this could be someone who breaks a bone in a fall, some who loses hearing as the result of working in a noisy environment, or someone who suffers repetitive stress injury from a lot of typing.
If a worker is seriously injured or ill, worker’’s compensation also will pay for vocational rehabilitation such as physical therapy or training for a different job. Some programs also pay workers for loss of future earnings, if the injury prevents them from continuing in a higher-paying occupation than they can pursue because of a disability. If a worker is killed on the job, the program pays funeral costs and survivors may receive benefits to replace the deceased’’s lost wages.
If a worker is seriously injured or ill, worker’’s compensation also will pay for vocational rehabilitation such as physical therapy or training for a different job. Some programs also pay workers for loss of future earnings, if the injury prevents them from continuing in a higher-paying occupation than they can pursue because of a disability. If a worker is killed on the job, the program pays funeral costs and survivors may receive benefits to replace the deceased’’s lost wages.
It’’s essential that workers who are hurt while working or who become ill because of their working conditions file a worker’’s compensation claim immediately. If the worker suspects that the employer or the company’’s insurance vendor may dispute his or her claim, it may also be a good idea to consult an attorney. Lawyers who specialize in worker’’s compensation law are skilled and experienced in making sure that employees receive all the recompense they”re entitled to under the law. Most employees are covered by worker’’s compensation programs, except those in small businesses with five or fewer employees, domestic workers, agricultural workers and independent contractors.
About The Author
Before you do anything, go to Hyland and Padilla to get more information about Worker’’s Compensation. http://www.hylandandpadilla.com/work-related-injuries.html