4 Questions You Might Ask About Workers’ Compensation
Being injured while performing your work duties can put a damper on your life, but it doesn’t have to completely wipe out your finances. In most cases, you’re entitled to workers’ compensation. If this is something new to you, you might have some questions to ask your workers compensation lawyer Waukesha, WI, and Hickey & Turim is here to help. The following are four common questions you might ask.
1. What Is Workers’ Compensation?
If you’ve never dealt with a workplace injury, you might wonder what workers’ compensation is to begin with. Workers’ compensation is an insurance plan that protects you from financial losses after you are injured while at work. It is often referred to as workers’ comp or workman’s comp as well. In addition to protecting the employee from financial losses, it protects the employer from lawsuits that could be potentially damaging.
2. What Does Workers’ Comp Cover?
There are several types of damages covered by workers’ comp. This includes medical expenses such as doctor visits, prescription medication, ambulance rides, hospital stays, surgeries and more. It also includes lost wages and the loss of earning capacity. Ongoing medical costs are often considered for compensation, and if the employee ends up dying as a result of the injuries, his or her family could be entitled to death benefits.
3. Are Previous Injuries Covered?
If you have a pre-existing injury or illness when you sustain another injury or illness at work, you won’t be compensated for the pre-existing condition. If you aggravate that same injury, it’s possible you will be entitled to compensation for the amount that the condition was worsened. For example, if you already have a workers’ compensation claim that has awarded you $5,000 for a particular injury, and a doctor determines damages to be at $8,000 with the new aggravation, you could receive an additional $3,000. If you have questions about your insurance and whether your injury is covered, speak with your workers compensation lawyer Waukesha, WI today.
4. Who Purchases the Policy?
One of the neat things about workers’ compensation is the employee does not have to contribute to the policy at all. The employer purchases the policy and the employee benefits from it when he or she is injured. There is no premium that comes out of any employee paychecks and the employees don’t have to worry about purchasing a policy to begin with. Most employers are required to purchase workers’ compensation, and those who aren’t often do, anyway.
Understanding More About Workers’ Compensation
If you were injured in a workplace accident, you’ll want to learn as much as you can about workers’ compensation. Contact a workers’ compensation lawyer to get your questions answered.