What Workers' Compensation Covers for an Evansville Job Injury
It was probably just a normal day at work. Most of these incidents begin like that. It only takes one mistake, slip, or accident to completely ruin your day, potentially your career.
In Indiana, the state requires every company to provide workers’ compensation to every employee. As an employee in Evansville, if you are injured on the job, your employer is required to provide the following benefits to you in order to get you through this down time.
Adequate Medical Care
After an accident of any kind, it is essential that you seek medical care immediately. Not only does this help prevent the injury from progressing, but it also provides written documentation of the injury.
Because this is so essential to your well-being after an accident, medical care is provided through worker’s compensation. This would include both the initial visit in order to diagnose the issue as well as any following appointments or treatment required in order to treat the injury. This could include: surgery, special equipment, medication, and any visits or admissions to the hospital.
Many times, workers’ compensation will also cover any emotional services if they are necessary for recovery. This might include counseling, pain therapy, and acupuncture.
Rehabilitation
The immediate medical care is just the first step to the recovery process. Many times, depending on the severity of the injury, it can take months and even years of rehabilitation in order to get back to where you once were physically. Workers’ compensation will cover the costs of this necessary medical and therapeutic care. Workers’ compensation should also cover the care and training that you might find necessary in order to deal with the physical and mental changes that you may find your injury brings into your life.
In addition to this, if your injury prevents you from returning to your previous job, rehabilitation benefits will often help cover any training required for you to work a different job.
Disability
The severity and length of your injury determines which benefits you are eligible for under workers’ compensation. If your injury is permanent but partial (e.g., losing a hand), you will likely be able to recover under Permanent Partial Impairment (PPI). If your injury is total, but you are expected to recover (e.g., a brain injury), you will receive Temporary Total Disability (TTD).
But what if your injury is both permanent and total? If your injury results in a permanent total disability (PTD), you will be eligible to receive either the amount payable for your impairment or up to 500 weeks of compensation for lost wages (whichever is greater). Any TTD benefits you received before you were determined to have a PTD will be subtracted from the 500 week total.
If you’ve been permanently, totally disabled, you may qualify for access to the Second Injury Fund. Originally meant to compensate workers whose multiple work injuries had resulted in permanent disability, the Second Injury Fund has since been expanded to cover those who have reached the end of their 500 weeks of lost wages as well as injured workers who need to replace or repair their prosthetics.
Social Security disability benefits are also an option if your injuries are permanent and prevent you from returning to work.
Help from an Evansville Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
If you were injured at work in Evansville, you are entitled to workers’ compensation. If you are being denied workers’ compensation, or you feel that you are not receiving the full benefit that you deserve, it might be time to take legal action in the case. Don’t go into this alone. Hire an experienced Evansville workers’ compensation attorney to fight for you. Call Hensley Legal Group today for a free consultation or contact us online.
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