What Employees Need to Know About Worker’s Compensation

Most of us have heard the term “worker’s compensation” before, and many of us have a vague idea of what it refers to. In short, worker’s compensation refers to a monetary settlement paid out to an employee by a business after that employee is injured at work. This protects both the business and the employee. Sounds simple, right? In truth, worker’s compensation is quite a complicated matter, and employees need to be aware of a few things so that they know what to do if they are ever injured while on duty.

The legal aspects

First of all, it is highly recommended that if you are ever injured at work – no matter how severely – you should get legal representation. This will help you stand a much better chance at winning any cases that you may make against your employees. A law firm such as the Cabral Law Group will be able to help you gather any necessary documents or evidence, as well as be able to guide you through the claims process. Keep in mind that many high-risk jobs require employees to sign a statement that confirms they will not hold the company responsible for any injuries on the job, so that may complicate things a bit.

When can you claim it?

In most cases, if you are injured on the job and you can prove it, you can claim worker’s compensation. However, that does not always mean your case will be successful. There are also some exceptions. As mentioned, some contracts are set up in a way that makes it very hard for you to claim worker’s compensation if you signed the contract. People who are not “officially” working for a company – for example, freelancers or contractors – may also have a harder time claiming worker’s compensation. An example of this would be a freelance employee who works remotely to improve digital marketing. Even if this employee were to get hurt at their home (which is technically their workplace) they would still have a hard time getting worker’s compensation because of the nature of their employment.

How much money can you get?

Worker’s compensation cases can be very complicated, as there are so many factors that come into play. How much compensation you receive will depend on things like the nature of your injury, as well as any evidence of it. For example, if a truck driver is in an accident while on duty, they should take photos of the scene to help them have a stronger case.

What is covered?

Quite often, worker’s compensation will come in the form of a once-off sum of money, to be used by the worker to cover any additional costs they may have due to the injury. Other times, however, the company may be responsible for ongoing medical expenses. As these types of cases work on a case-by-case basis, it will be very hard to predetermine what expenses will be covered if you’re injured at work. It will also depend on whether it was a true accident, or whether the company was irresponsible or negligent, such as by not having a proper safety management program.