Workplace injuries can happen in any environment and may affect the most senior workers or the newest employee at a company. Anyone who works for a living can potentially end up hurt badly enough that they require medical care or possibly even time off from their job.
People frequently worry about how their employers will respond to an injury or a workers’ compensation claim. If you just got hurt on the job, there are a few things that you need to know about workplace injuries that should empower you to pursue what you’re owed with confidence.
1. You have to report your harm to get benefits
Workers’ compensation benefits are available to everyone who is covered by workers’ comp insurance, from the most senior employee at an organization to someone who only works part-time on the weekends. Both an injury from an unexpected incident on the job or a diagnosis of a medical condition related to your work necessitate a report to your employer. If your employer is not aware of your injuries, you may not be able to obtain the workers’ compensation benefits you require.
2. Personal insurance and benefits are not a better option
Given that people worry about facing retaliation from their employers, many people contemplate using their own health insurance and possibly paid leave benefits instead of filing a workers’ compensation claim. You might need those leave benefits later, and your health insurance policy will expect you to pay for quite a bit of your treatment.
Modern insurance plans have a deductible in most cases, which means that you will likely have to pay several thousand dollars for your own treatments before you get coverage from the company. You may also have to pay a copay for every appointment you attend and medication you receive. Finally, the insurance company may pass 10 or 20% of your final bill on to you as a coinsurance cost. Workers’ compensation coverage will pay for all of your medical treatment expenses.
3. Your employer should help you, not punish you
Whether you got hurt because you made a mistake or another worker did something wrong, you should not have to worry about facing punishment for reporting your injury or seeking benefits. You have protection from retaliation related to reporting a work injury and to filing workers’ compensation claims. You also have the right to request accommodations, which could range from changing your job responsibilities to providing you with assistive technology.
Getting hurt at work can be a frightening and stressful experience, but it doesn’t have to lead to major complications, financial hardship and worsening injuries. Learning more about your rights related to workers’ compensation can help you handle both the financial and practical fallout of a recent work injury.