St. Louis Workers’ Compensation Benefits – FAQs by Injured Workers

Injured workers often have to struggle to get their questions answered about workers’ compensation and their legal rights.

Workplace injuries can be life changing, leaving an injured worker in pain and with huge medical bills and disabilities. Injured workers often have to struggle to get their questions answered about workers’ comp benefits and their legal rights.

How does quitting you job affect a work comp claim?

When a worker sustains a work-related injury and then quits the job, is the employer required to report the injury and can the worker file a workers’ compensation claim? If a worker suffers an injury at the workplace, he or she can leave the employment. There could be various reasons why a worker may want to quit the job after an injury, for example, because of unsafe working conditions. No one can stop the worker from quitting and the worker may still have a valid workers’ compensation claim.

Qualifying for Temporary Disability Benefits

If a doctor says that the worker can return to light duty but the worker decides to quit, he or she may not be eligible to receive any pay from the employer. Some employers do not have any light duty available, in which case, the worker will normally get temporary disability benefits. If the worker quits, he or she is not eligible for these benefits.

Are homeowners responsible for workers injured while working at their home?

The answer depends on the situation. If a contractor is working at a residence for a company that has workers’ compensation coverage, the worker cannot file a claim against the homeowner’s insurance. However, if the worker suffers an injury because of the homeowner’s negligence, such as falling off a broken staircase, the worker may be eligible to file a third-party claim.