Do you know your rights as an employee? If you get significantly injured at work, you may receive workers’ compensation (workers comp) benefits. Workers comp rights and benefits include supplemental income to compensate for qualifying injuries and illnesses.
Florida workers compensation rules come with some nuances. If you want to claim your benefits, continue reading.
What Are Workers Compensation Benefits?
Some employees suffer significant injuries and illnesses on the job. Some jobs present higher risks than others (e.g., occupations involving heavy equipment).
If you cannot work at full capacity, there is a possibility you could get fired. Workers comp protects employees from losing their income due to workplace injuries and illnesses.
This policy covers an employee’s medical expenses, lost wages, and rehabilitation costs. Without the policy, that money would leave the employee’s or employer’s pockets. The policy also covers death benefits if the employee dies on the job.
A workers compensation insurance policy cushions the blow for employees and employers.
Replaced Wages
Workers compensation benefits include replaced wages. However, you generally do not get every penny replaced. In most cases, you will receive two-thirds of your wages for the time you miss work.
If you made $3,000 per month at work, you can expect to receive $2,000 per month from workers comp. Your salary returns to $3,000 per month when you return to work.
Tell Your Company about the Injury
If you would like to receive workers comp benefits, tell your company about the injury immediately. Insurers may reject claims sent more than 30 days after the injury occurred.
An information delay on your end can hurt the process. Filing a workers compensation claim would represent your last resort.
If in doubt, let your company know about the injury. If you heal quickly, you can show up to work. If you do not recover soon, workers comp provides your last layer of defense financially.
How Much Time Do You Need to Miss?
Florida Workers comp rules state that you need to miss at least 21 days in order to receive payment for the first 7 days of work that were missed. If you miss 21 days consecutively, you will also receive wages for all of those 21 days. You may receive wages for each additional week you miss as well.
Medical coverage works differently. The insurer will cover medical expenses related to the injury or illness for life.
Some workers prefer to receive a lump sum payment to close the case. This lump sum payment replaces weekly wage payments. At the Law Offices of Ala Alikhani, P.A., we will negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf.
Some people need a lump sum to cover debts. Others use the lump sum to invest in cashflow-producing assets for extra protection.
Not every injured worker receives workers comp for a long period of time. Some employers will require employees to return to work with a lighter workload but that might potentially not be permissible if the injured worker is on restrictions from the authorized treating physician.
How a Workers Compensation Lawyer Can Help You
A workers comp lawyer can help you realize the benefits that you may be entitled to receive. The right lawyer can assemble and present beneficial documents related to your injury.
At the Law Offices of Ala Alikhani, P.A., we use our knowledge of the workers comp laws to your advantage. If the insurer denies your claim, our office will fight the denial on your behalf.
Our law firm represents workers in need of workers’ compensation benefits. We have offices in Miami and Boca Raton. Give us a call at (844) 762-8155 to see how we can help.
When you hire the Law Offices of Ala Alikhani, P.A. to represent you, we go to extremes to ensure employers and their insurance companies are held accountable and that you receive the benefits that you are entitled to by the law.