Workers’ compensation benefits are a type of insurance that is meant to accommodate employees who need medical care as a result of job-related injuries. Employers are obligated by law to provide workers’ compensation insurance coverage for their employees in the case they sustain serious injuries related to occupational exposures. These policies generally include provisions for accidental injury, but many people are curious about other types of harm, such as disease or illness.
Continue reading to learn more about how illnesses are dealt with under standard work injury recompense policies, and who to trust for accurate advice regarding your potential claim.
Workers’ Compensation for Sickness and Disorders
When an employee accepts workers’ compensation, they are forfeiting their rights to sue their employer for negligence. This is because compensation is awarded to cover medical expenses, hospital bills, prolonged physical therapy, lost wages, economic losses, damages, and more. This allows victims to afford recovery. In most cases, work injury recompense is provided for victims of physical injury, but it must also be provided for employees who suffer from job-related sicknesses, illnesses, long-term conditions, and psychological disorders.
Stress-related conditions like heart disorders, digestive problems, and psychological issues are also commonly covered under most workers’ compensation insurance. And long-term illnesses, such as sickness caused by working with toxic substances, loss of hearing, repetitive motion injuries, and vision problems may also be covered by workers’ comp insurance. In order to be eligible for work injury recompense coverage for theses aforementioned conditions, an illness must have been caused by, and occurred during, an individual’s time of employment.
Learn About Your Potential Workers’ Compensation Claim
Even though an illness or disorder cannot be attributed to one isolated accident or event at work, it does not mean that it is not a valid workplace injury claim. Talk to a licensed and experienced personal injury lawyer about your rights as a victim of long-term illness or conditions related to your job responsibilities and environment.
They can give you accurate information regarding the unique circumstances and details of your claim, and develop a strong, impactful case to recover the fair compensation you deserve. It is important to hire a lawyer that can comprehensively represent you and your case, in attempt to recover compensation for your damages, such as lost wages, medical expenses, hospital bills, prolonged therapy, and more. Just be sure to get started as soon as possible to avoid exceeding your state’s statutes of limitations for filing such claims.
Based in New York, Stephen Freeman is a Senior Editor at Trending Insurance News. Previously he has worked for Forbes and The Huffington Post. Steven is a graduate of Risk Management at the University of New York.