A Work Injury Can Affect You For Life – Here’s How Workers Comp Helps

In the best cases, your workplace injury will only take you out of commission for a few days or even less than that. However, many injured workers can face the unfortunate reality when the workplace injury leaves permanent effects on their body and life.

This may be because of permanent disabilities that force you to either find another job or prevent you from working ever again, to the psychological or emotional trauma that never really gets to heal.

How can worker’s compensation help?

What Worker’s Compensation Can Do

Most injured workers know about this benefit program as simply a way to cover their medical costs resulting from a medical injury, without having to spend a dime or use their personal health insurance.

However, in some cases, it can be more than that. Workers’ compensation laws are designed to help the injured worker get back on their feet after a workplace injury, and this can take on many different forms. For instance, it’s not just your medical treatment that is covered here. If you need to take time off work to recover, you are generally entitled to lost wages as well.

But what happens when you’re facing permanent disability?

Well, two things. First of all, as long as you’re still receiving treatment for your workplace injury, you are typically entitled to disability benefits, which are calculated at two-thirds of your average salary. As a result, if you cannot work, you are still receiving part of your wages as benefits because you are still getting treated.

You will get these benefits until you reach maximum medical improvement, which essentially means that, although you may still have some health issues, they can’t really get any better with more medical treatment.

What Happens Next?

If you reach your maximum medical improvement and begin to see that your workplace injury left you disabled and unable to work, there is another opportunity that can help you financially: the worker’s comp settlement.

Apart from medical expense coverage and lost wages, you will also receive a worker’s compensation settlement at the end of your case, meaning when you stop receiving weekly benefits. This settlement will be negotiated with the insurance company, and you will most likely have to fight for a fair one.

The worker’s compensation settlement should also account for your future expenses, not just the pain and suffering that the injury caused you. This is why you should always speak with a St. Louis work injury attorney who can negotiate on your behalf.

Is It Really Necessary to Speak With a Lawyer?

If you’ve been injured at work and are looking at a permanent disability, your worker’s comp settlement may provide additional financial support to help you get through this situation. Gain more than even footing with the insurance company and their attorneys by speaking with an experienced workers comp attorney ASAP.