It is very important to an aggressive workers compensation lawyer in Palm Beach Gardens at Franks, Koenig & Neuwelt that every employee understands their state laws pertaining to workers’ compensation benefits. This type of insurance helps protect businesses and their workers in the event that an injury or illness occurs. Depending on the nature of the work, an employee may get hurt due to a slip and fall, while moving furniture, tripping on debri in a construction environment, and more. What many employees may not realize is that they may be eligible to use their workers’ compensation benefits, but are too afraid to ask for it.
Here we have answered some of the most common questions people ask a Palm Beach Gardens aggressive workers compensation lawyer when it comes to their protections under workers’ compensation laws:
Q: How would you define workers’ compensation?
A: Insurance for workers’ compensation helps alleviate tensions between employees and their employers if an accident were to arise in which the worker gets hurt or sick. Workers’ compensation may also be referred to as workman’s compensation, and essentially means that a worker is entitled to receive care for conditions which developed due to the workplace. This insurance program also helps safeguard businesses from being financially drained due to having to pay out in a lawsuit for an employee’s injuries.
Unfortunately, as an aggressive workers compensation lawyer in FL is aware, many employees are too nervous to cause ripples in the workplace so they don’t request coverage even when they deserve financial support.
Q: What is covered under workers’ compensation benefits?
A: In most cases, workers’ compensation insurance covers things like medical bills, wage loss, future care, and funeral expenses if an employee is injured, sick, or passes away because of a work-related incident. The general idea of workers’ compensation programs is to get the employee the care he or she needs without being overly concerned with who was at-fault. However, there are exceptions to this rule as if the employee is found to have done any of the following they are unlikely to be approved to receive these benefits:
- The employee started a fight in the workplace which led to the injury
- The employee was under the influence of alcohol or another substance when the accident occurred
- The employee had intentionally injured themselves to collect under workers’ compensation benefits
- The employee’s emotional injuries were not related to an actual physical workplace traumatic event
It is crucial to note that sometimes an employee’s workers’ compensation application is wrongfully denied. If this has happened to you, please contact a FL aggressive workers compensation lawyer in Palm Beach Gardens right away for help.
Q: How can I file a workers’ compensation claim?
A: After the injury or illness, you must notify your employer immediately. Do not wait to see if your condition improves on its own. By talking with your supervisor, he or she can help you complete the necessary paperwork to report the accident, in addition to how to file for workers’ compensation benefits. Your employer may ask if you need to see a doctor that same day. It is often recommended that you say yes and see the work-assigned physician for an evaluation. If you decline seeing a doctor and later on request coverage due to a serious injury, your employer may wonder why you didn’t get care sooner.
It is not the responsibility of an employee to pay for workers’ compensation benefits. The degree of coverage varies based on the circumstances of the injury or illness, state laws, type of work, job risks, and business size. Sadly, many employers don’t want to lose money so they attempt to wrongfully deny or intentionally get the employee’s benefits cancelled.
If you are having trouble with a recent workers’ compensation claim, please contact an aggressive workers compensation lawyer in Palm Beach Gardens, FL at Franks, Koenig & Neuwelt promptly for a free consult.
