New York City Workers Compensation Lawyers
What you should know about workers compensation
To understand workers compensation insurance, let us start by breaking the term down into its component parts:
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It is for workers—Workers compensation insurance covers workers—those who are employees and who experience an injury while performing workplace duties.
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It compensates—To compensate is to make up for something. In workers compensation insurance, it is to recompense—make up for—certain types of losses workers may experience when they are injured or killed on the job.
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It is insurance—workers compensation is a legally mandated insurance program that is paid by the employer and that benefits the employee injured in the course of performing work duties. Like any insurance policy, there are certain types of coverage and there are limits—maximum payout amounts—for each thing that it covers.
To summarize, the employer's workers compensation insurance is intended to financially restore losses you experience when you are injured while performing your on the job duties.
Two other key differences between workers compensation and other kinds of insurance are that—
- You do not pay anything for the coverage. Rather, your employer covers the cost, even though the insurance benefits employees and their families.
- Workers compensation also benefits the employer in that it covers the cost of lawsuits against them by their employees who claim employer negligence on the job.
What workers compensation covers and does not cover
The most common coverage provided by your employer's workers compensation insurance is payment of medical expenses you incur and wages you lose while recuperating from your on the job injury. In the event of death from the work related injuries, certain financial benefits are paid to the deceased worker's family.
Limitations of workers compensation insurance
While workers compensation insurance theoretically recompenses you for your losses, there are many limits and conditions that negatively affect its real value to injured employees.
- Some injuries are not covered, such as those that are intentionally inflicted, those that occur while traveling to and from work, and those that occur while the worker is under the influence of alcohol or certain types of drugs.
- All covered injuries have maximum payout amounts. If your expenses are unusually high, your coverage may not continue.
- Coverage may end at the insurer's discretion, such as if the company considers your medical treatments or therapy are unnecessary.
- There is no coverage for other forms of loss such as pain and suffering, mental anguish, or loss of consortium.
When workers compensation insurance is not enough
Workers should be able to feel financially secure on the job, knowing they will be paid while out of a job due to injury. Unfortunately, many workers compensation claims are denied, or payments are insufficient or cut off after a period of time. If this happens to you, you need to get legal advice from a qualified, experienced New York City workers compensation lawyer. Through filing a legal claim, the attorney may be able to help you recover the financial and medical benefits you are entitled to.
