Work Related Injuries That Don't Heal
If you've been injured at work, you are likely fortunate enough to be covered by your employer's workers' compensation insurance plan. This plan, available at no cost to you, covers your medical expenses related to the injury and even lets you earn a portion of your salary while you recuperate at home. If you are lucky, your injury heals and you can return to your regular job and salary in no time at all. If you are not so lucky, your injury takes a lot longer to heal than expected, which can begin to cause countless problems all around. Read on to learn more about protecting your interests when you get hurt at work.
The Limits of Workers' Compensation
At first, your workers' comp benefits cover you adequately, but sooner or later your wallet will begin to feel the pinch. That is because workers' comp is not meant to cover your entire salary, but just a certain portion of it. In many cases, you can expect approximately 70% of your usual salary, and the amount paid to you is not taxed nor is it taxable. Most people cannot do without 30% of their pay for very long without suffering the consequences, but if you are not cleared to return to work you have little choice.
Do You Have a Permanent Injury?
When injuries don't heal in a given time, you could be facing the possibility that your medical condition may never get better. This can be a difficult matter to deal with, but you must keep in mind that your employer and the workers' comp carrier owes you compensation for that permanent injury. If your injury has not healed, it may be time to take action.
Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI)
In workers' comp language, an injury that is not expected to heal enough for you to return to your previous job is known as maximum medical improvement. Once your claim is assigned this status, the way that your benefits are paid to you will change, along with a lot of other things. In most cases, the ruling for MMI comes after you have undergone a particular type of medical examination by a doctor that works for the insurance carrier. This examination will determine whether or not you really do have a permanent injury.
Take Action
No matter what, at this stage of the process you will need some legal support to help you get the benefits that you need and deserve, so seek out a workplace injury attorney, especially when:
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Your injury is not healing, and your benefits are being threatened.
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Your job is being threatened and you are being ordered to return to work too soon.
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You have been ruled to be at MMI and you are being offered a lump sum settlement.