When you are injured or become ill due to your workplace environment, many questions may run through your head. How will I pay for medical bills? When can I return to work? Will my family be okay while I recover? Even if you plan on seeking workers’ compensation benefits, it might not be clear what is covered and what is not. Additionally, a seriously injured or ill worker might require more resources than just workers’ compensation.
Following a workplace accident, an employee is likely to suffer a workplace injury or illness. Under Massachusetts law, all employers must purchase workers’ compensation insurance in order to cover employees that suffer workplace injury accidents. In most cases, it does not matter who was at fault in a workplace incident, workers’ compensation benefits are available to any employee suffering an injury or illness from the workplace.
While the payments are considered to be rather modest, workers’ comp typically covers medical expenses, lost wages, costs for retraining, compensation for any permanent disabilities and benefits for the survivors of the worker in the event that the worker was killed on the job.
Payments for lost wages typically can begin within a few days of missed work due to a particular work-related injury or illness. Lost wages are usually only two-thirds of the worker’s average pay. This is to ensure that the total benefit does not go over the maximum allowed. It should also be noted that these benefits are not taxed. Therefore, if the harmed worker is making a fair wage, he or she should not have any issues covering the expenses arising from the work incident.
Nobody ever plans on being injured or becoming ill due to the environment he or she works in; however, unexpected situations could occur. Thus, it is imperative that workers understand their rights and options, especially when it comes to recovering workers’ comp benefits owed to them.
Source: FindLaw, “Workers’ Comp Benefits Explained,” accessed July 10, 2016
