The goal of a workers’ compensation claim is to acquire benefits. These benefits can pay for your medical bills, accommodate for missing work, and provide relief in the event of disability. Your best chance of having your claim approved is with a steadfast workers’ comp attorney. A legal professional could talk with you about the available benefits in a Chicago workers’ compensation case.
The biggest benefit provided to workers after an accident is the payment for their medical treatment. Not every employee has access to group health insurance, either through their job or through a government agency. But if they are an employee of a company that has workers’ compensation coverage, then their medical treatment bills are covered by that insurance.
If they do happen to have group health insurance or private health insurance, they should not use that for their work injury. Group health insurance policies like Blue Cross Blue Shield or United Healthcare have copays, which do not exist under workers’ compensation.
Once they have a workers’ compensation claim number, they should be using that as their insurance when they go to the doctor. That way, they will not have to worry about paying anything out of pocket. They are also free to be treated by any doctor of their choice.
The second big benefit available in a Chicago workers’ comp case is lost earnings. If a person’s injury is preventing them from going back to work, then workers’ compensation insurance covers lost wages if they have what is called total temporary disability. If the employee gets hurt outside of their job and has to miss work, they could have short-term disability or long-term disability coverage. A person is entitled to two-thirds of their average weekly pay while they are off of work, which is non-taxable. Unfortunately, they might also be granted no coverage at all to protect their lost income due to that injury.
The final benefit available is compensation for permanent disability, which could be permanent total disability or, more often, permanent partial disability. This compensates them for the permanent effects of their injury, which can vary widely in terms of severity.
Workers’ compensation benefits may also include vocational rehab services, which allows injured employees to receive the necessary training to obtain employment after a workplace incident. For example, if an employee is hurt in an accident that effects their physical strength, vocational rehab services will provide them with the training they need to get a job that is not labor-intensive.
If it is determined that the injured worker was not doing their job duties at the time of the accident, they may have their benefits denied. Determining whether something was not work-related can be a long and specific process. However, as long as they were doing their job duties when they got hurt, it is highly likely that they would be entitled to benefits.
The benefits available in a local workers’ compensation case might have an expiration date. It is possible that someone’s benefits may be halted at a later point in the claim if there is a dispute of medical causation. If their treating doctors want to do a certain treatment plan, the insurance company has the right to have their own doctors give a second opinion to determine if it is necessary. Even if it is deemed not medically necessary, it only means that workers’ comp would not pay for it. It does not mean that the patient cannot have that treatment. This dispute could be resolved with the aid of a lawyer.
There are multiple ways of rectifying the losses from your workplace accident. The legal arguments and filing information must be precise, which is why you should hire a lawyer to help you get the relief you need. Contact one now in order to discuss the available benefits in a Chicago workers’ compensation case.