Getting hurt at work can be traumatic. If you have been hurt at work, filing a workers compensation claim is most likely the only chance you have for getting recovery for your injuries. Workers’ compensation allows for three main benefits, and you need to know what those benefits are and how to get them. Workers’ compensation, while it involves an injury, is very different than a car crash injury in that it is completely governed by Missouri statutes. Failure to follow the strict rules can hurt your case. Imperative to receiving any relief in a workers compensation action, you must first report your injury to your supervisor. That may include requesting your supervisor send you to an emergency room or other medical provider.
The first benefit is medical care. You are entitled to have your employer pay for all medical care with a doctor of your choosing. That means, once you get hurt at work, and report it to your supervisor, you must have your employer send you to the doctor they want you to see.
The second benefit is lost wages, but in workers compensation, we call it temporary total disability (TTD). Iif you are seriously injured at work, and are unable to do your job, you may need time off work, and lost wages. The Missouri statutes provide that you are eligible to receive a sum equal to 2/3 your weekly rate, with a cap set by the state of Missouri which changes every year. We know this is a difficult time for you, and 2/3 your wage might prove difficult during the time of your recovery. This is one benefit that you must be sure you know how to get to tide you over while you recover. There may be restrictions and limitations on how you can recover these amounts, and possible ways to work on light duty that may help you through these times while you are recovering. When you call our office, we will discuss how we can get you all the
The third benefit is either a lump sum for permanent partial disability or a lump sum or weekly amount permanent total disability. Once you have finished your treatment, insurance companies who represent your employer will try to offer you an amount for settlement based on the amount of disability you continue to have from your work injury.
Don’t count on your Employer to tell you what you need to do. Your Employer will have its own lawyer to advise them on what they need to do, which is often not protecting, your job, or your finances. Employers will use abbreviations that you don’t know and haven’t heard before which can be confusing. Being injured on the job is stressful enough without all the confusing abbreviations and disability calculations placing you at a disadvantage to an employer who knows how to navigate workers compensation. The attorneys at Siegel Injury Law are well versed in the law and know how to help you understand how the Missouri law, and how to navigate through it. We are here to help our clients get what they are entitled to under the law.
