How to know if your worker’s compensation is fair enough for your injuries

In case of workplace injuries, the affected workers can lose a lot. The losses can range from money to physical capabilities to even their lives. Worker’s compensation covers such injured workers. This compensation is something that ensures the employees are at least financially safe.

Have you gotten injured at work recently and are not sure if you are being compensated enough? In such situations, it is advised by legal professionals not to sign any documents in a rush. It is better to consult catastrophic injury lawyers for settlement dealings.

There are 7 different categories of worker’s compensation under which you can claim financial benefits from your employers. Knowing about these categories can help you make more informed decisions about your claim. Here are the categories that you should know about;

Permanent Partial Disability

Permanent Partial Disability or PPD compensations can be claimed in case of Partial disability. Partial disability limits a worker’s ability to work the same job as efficiently they used to. For example, a worker operates heavy machinery in a factory. However, in a catastrophic accident, he loses a limb. Thus, he wouldn’t be able to work with the heavy machinery as before with a severed limb.

Usually, after a permanent partial disability, employers do not retain the disabled employee. Some employers might give them a new job that is more suitable for them to do with their new disability. In case of unemployment, disabled employees keep on getting benefits. All the medical expenses and replacement wages are covered in the PPD claim.

Permanent Total Disability

If a worker loses their physical abilities completely and irreversibly due to an accident at the workplace, they can claim coverage for Permanent Total Disability or PTD. Under such compensations, the injured and permanently disabled worker receives full coverage of their medical expenses, continuous benefits for the period decided by both parties as they have lost their capability to earn their living, the legal expenses, and the fees of employment attorney hired by the employee, and replacement wages.

If an employee is blinded because of direct exposure to chemicals in a chemical factory or a massive accident has left a worker completely paralyzed forever, they will be compensated under a PTD claim. Simply put, as their disability completely eradicates their ability to work and they cannot earn their living anymore, they can claim PTD compensation.

Temporary Partial Disability

If an accident at the workplace has left an employee partially disabled for a limited amount of time, they will be eligible for a Temporary Partial Disability or TPD claim. During the disability period, the employee might do some light work rather than carrying out their usual duties or taking time off. The disabled employee’s medical expenses and wage losses will be covered under the TPD claim.

For example, if a worker has been injured temporarily, as in has gotten a broken arm, during work, the worker will be compensated till the injury is healed.

Temporary Total Disability

If the workplace injury that occurred during work leaves a worker completely unable to do any work for a certain period of time, the compensation claim will come under Temporary Total Disability or TTD.

For this claim to be effective, the diagnosis of the injured employee needs to indicate a potential full recovery. So, during the period the person is injured, the lost wages, medical expenses, costs for rehabilitation, fees of seeing an expert like a physiotherapist or a chiropractor will also be covered by the TTD claim.

Medical Treatment

This is the simplest compensation to claim as the filing and processing procedures are simple and quick. A medical treatment claim will only cover the medical expenses of treating smaller, milder, less severe injuries that happen in the workplace. For example, if the injured employee or worker can go back to work the same day or the next day, a medical treatment claim will be appropriate for them.

Vocational Rehabilitation

Vocational rehabilitation compensation covers the costs of rehabilitation, retraining, and consulting physical therapists. Employees that are healing and will be going to join the workforce again; maybe in the same job or a similar job are eligible for vocational rehabilitation compensation.

Death

In the most unfortunate scenarios, the worker dies because of work-related injuries. The Death compensation is given to the family and direct dependents of the person. State legal systems have defined procedures to calculate the amount of compensation with a lower and an upper limit. The compensation can also be a lump sum sometimes. In many cases, the compensation also covers funeral expenses.

Conclusion

Workplace injuries are a very common phenomenon around the world. However, even a small injury can completely change an employee’s life. To secure the rights of the workers and help them live a life of dignity and respect, even when they cannot work anymore, filing the appropriate compensation claim is important. With the right claim, you can get compensated for exactly what you have endured.