On The Job Accident
There are several types of benefits under workers compensation. These are medical benefits, temporary disability benefits, retraining benefits, permanent disability and death benefits. Medical benefits provide 100% payment of all reasonable medical charges caused by injury or occupational disease. With this, your employer has the right to direct you to an initial treating doctor. If your employer does not direct you to a particular doctor, then you have the right to select your own doctor. Once you have a treating doctor, you cannot change doctors without either a referral from your treating doctor, approval from your insurance company, or approval from the industrial commission. Treatment obtained outside of these rules may result in you having to pay the bill.
Millions of employees are injured at work each year and thousands of work accidents result in serious injuries and death. Employees who are injured at work are entitled to compensation for their injuries. In death cases, families may also be entitled to compensation. Depending upon the circumstances of the injury, injured employees may be entitled to compensation through either the workers' compensation system, or a personal injury lawsuit, or both. Employees who have suffered a work injury should seek the advice of a law firm that is well-recognized for its experience and expertise in injury cases. It is important that the firm has the resources and knowledge required to identify and litigate all the available claims to help ensure that the worker receives the optimum compensation and benefits to which he is entitled.
Temporary disability is a way to get benefits when you can't go to work but are still under a doctor's care. This benefit is generally based on 60% of your wages plus additional benefits if you have children who are minors. There are maximum and minimum rates that can also apply. Temporary disability benefits should continue if there is no light duty work available for you. However, if an employer does make light duty work available to you, within your restrictions, you will get your wages instead of temporary disability benefits. If you can't work your full number of hours or you get a reduced wage because of light duty, then you should be entitled to partial benefits. If you are permanently injured and your doctor says there is nothing further that can be done for you, he can then give you a permanent injury rating. This injury rating may entitle you to additional benefits and you may also be entitled to additional retraining or permanent benefits. If you have been injured and have questions concerning workers compensation you should speak with a personal injury attorney.
Contact a Florida Accident Lawyer:
Injured workers or their families should contact a skilled and dedicated personal injury law firm which will investigate all possible sources of compensation for the workers' injuries. It requires superior expertise and experience to thoroughly analyze the facts and circumstances surrounding a work injury and identify all possible third-party claims. Determining fault among multiple potential third-party defendants can be complex and costly. Kinney, Fernandez, and Boire PA has successfully handled thousands of injury claims and many work-related claims.
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