Understanding Available Benefits for Injured Workers
Nobody anticipates that they will get hurt on the job when they report for work. Yet Florida workers routinely suffer injuries while performing work and while in the workplace, and those injuries can range widely in terms of type and severity. The important thing to know is that a workplace injury could be compensable through the workers’ compensation system. If you were recently injured on the job, you may be wondering about the types of benefits that are available to you or to your family. In general, benefits available through the Florida workers’ compensation system are grouped into one of three categories. Our West Palm beach workers’ compensation lawyers can explain these different categories and how you can obtain benefits in the aftermath of a workplace injury.
Medical Benefits
The workers’ compensation system first and importantly can compensate injured workers by providing medical benefits. If your employer is required to have workers’ compensation coverage, then a workplace injury can entitle you to a wide range of medical treatments and medical care, such as:
- Care and treatment from an authorized primary care provider;
- Care and treatment from an authorized specialist when it is medically necessary;
- Care and treatments that may include doctor’s visits, hospitalization, physical therapy, medical tests, prescription drugs, prostheses, and attendant care; and
- Reimbursement for travel to and from medical appointments and the pharmacy.
It is important to be clear that you will need to see an approved or authorized provider in order to receive medical benefits (unless your injury is an emergency, in which case an initial visit can be to a nearby emergency department regardless of whether the physician is authorized). It is also important to know that you will need to attend all appointments because skipping appointments could impact your ability to continue receiving medical benefits.
Lost Wages and Other Forms of Monetary Compensation
Monetary compensation through the workers’ compensation system can include lost wages and other types of disability benefits based on a worker’s particular injury. The following are types of lost wages and monetary benefits an injured worker could be eligible to receive:
- Temporary Total Disability, or TTD: If you cannot work at all, you can receive 66 and ⅔ percent of your regular wages at the time of your injury, and TTD benefits can continue for up to 104 weeks (and some severe injuries can result in up to 80 percent of an injured workers’ regular wages for a period of 6 months or 180 days);
- Temporary Partial Disability, or TPD: If you can return to work after your injury but with medical restrictions that result in you being unable to earn 80 percent of your regular wages prior to your injury, you can receive TPD benefits for up to 104 weeks;
- Impairment Income Benefits, or IIB: If you have reached “maximum medical improvement” and have not recovered fully, you can be eligible for IIB benefits based on your permanent impairment rating; and
- Permanent Total Disability, or PTD: If you cannot work ever again, you may be eligible for PTD benefits.
Death Benefits
For deaths that occur within a year from the date of the initial injury or within 5 years of the injured worker receiving continuous disability benefits, up to $150,000 can be paid in death benefits to a surviving spouse and dependents.
Contact Our West Palm Beach Workers’ Compensation Attorneys
Were you injured on the job? You should know that you could be eligible to receive workers’ compensation benefits. An experienced West Palm Beach workers’ compensation attorney at the Law Offices of David M. Benenfeld, P.A. can provide you with more information and assistance with your case. Contact us today to find out more about seeking workers’ compensation benefits to cover your medical care, lost wages, and other potential losses resulting from your workplace injury.
Source:
myfloridacfo.com/division/wc/employee/benefits-available-to-injured-workers