A workers’ compensation policy offer benefits to employees that have been injured in their line of duty as stated by the state law. Generally, all states provide four types of compensation benefits; medical coverage, rehabilitation, disability benefit, and death benefits.
Even though the kind of benefits that injured employees receive across all the country are consistent, the amount which is given, and how they are given vary from one state to another. Injured workers need to have a lawyer to maximize their benefits. After their injury level has been evaluated, a compensation check is issued by insurance. Sometimes, an employee may undergo sexual harassment in the workforce forcing him or her to hire a sexual harassment lawyer in NY to handle the case.
The following are the four main types of workers’ compensation benefits.
- Medical coverage
Majority of injured employees who files the workers compensation receive medical coverage. The cover pays for the treatment costs for employees with an injury. It includes fees charged for the doctor’s visit, nursing care, hospital treatment, medications, physical therapy, medical tests, and medical equipment such as wheelchairs and crutches.
The medical coverage is offered until the employee has recovered fully from the injury. Although some state laws may restrict some types of treatment, for example, the law may allow a maximum of 25 visits for physical therapy. And again, there are some states in which providers are reimbursed for medical services based on a fee schedule.
- Disability benefit
Disability benefits are intended to compensate the employee for part of the wage that he/she loses while his/her injuries make it impossible for him/her to work. The disability benefit is classified into four categories.
- Temporary total disability
It prevents you from working at all, but just for a limited time. This means that you may not work as per the moment, but you may work in the future once you have recovered fully. These benefits end when you have recovered, or the doctor has decided that you won’t recover completely. A lot of states have time limits on temporary disability payments.
- Temporary partial disability
This type of disability prevents you from doing your normal job for a limited amount of time, but you can do some work. For example, your doctor may say that you can work only for five hours a day while you are recovering from your injury. In most cases, the employee will receive benefits.
- Permanent partial disability
Involves permanent damage as a result of a workplace injury or illness that makes you unable to work. Although these benefits should compensate for the impairment, states do limit how long the payments should last.
- Permanent total disability
This means that the employee has sustained a permanent injury that cannot be cured, and hence the employee cannot earn future income by doing the kind of work he/she was doing before the injury.
- Rehabilitation
Some serious injuries may require the employee to seek rehabilitative services such as physical therapy to help them recover, and the compensation benefits can pay for these services. There is also psychological rehabilitation for employees who have suffered a work-related mental injury.
- Death
When an employee dies as a result of his/her work-related sickness or injury, death benefits are paid to the worker’s spouse, minor children, and other dependents. Burial expenses are also covered.