Workers Comp Attorney

Workers compensation is a benefit most people have but few take advantage of. How do you know if you have workers compensation? Well, if the company you work for has more than five employees, then legally they have to provide you with workers compensation. And even though most people have access to workers compensation, many do not utilize it. This is for a variety of reasons, but one of the main reasons being that people are not sure if their injury classifies as an injury that would be covered by workers compensation. In this post, we’ll discuss what workers compensation is and what types of injuries or situations qualify.

What is workers compensation?

First, let’s define workers compensation. Workers compensation is a form of insurance that your employer purchases. This insurance covers any medical bills or lost wages experienced as a result of a workplace injury. A workplace injury is when an injury occurs while you are performing the functions of your job. This includes the physical location of your office or at an off-site company hosted event. As mentioned, legally speaking employers who have over five people working for them have to offer their employees workers compensation.

Example of workplace injuries

So now that we know what workers compensation is, let’s discuss some common examples of workplace injuries.

You work at a distribution center operating a forklift. One day, the forklift malfunctions and you end up breaking your leg. You are out of work for at least six weeks and are facing hospital bills. You are the breadwinner in your family so it’s extremely important for you to be able to bring home your paycheck every week.

In this example, your workers compensation claim would ensure that you do not miss any week of wages as well as cover the expensive trip to the emergency room.

You are walking into work one morning on a cold, winter day. An ice storm had passed through the night before leaving all the sidewalks and parking lots covered in a thin layer of ice. The maintenance crews at your office have salted as much as they could, but inevitably miss the spot that is right in front of where you parked your car. You slip on the ice and hit your head on the pavement. As a result, you go see the doctor, are diagnosed with a mild concussion and are forced to miss a week of work.

In this example, you would file a workers compensation claim in order to recover the cost of the medical bills, prescriptions and time off of work. As you can see, workers compensation claim do not just apply to “dangerous” jobs. They can also apply to someone who works at an office.

When in doubt, ask someone

If you are injured at work or at a workplace function and are not sure if your injury qualifies, be sure to ask a Nassau County workers comp attorney. They can help you file a claim and advise you on whether or not you need legal help to deal with your claim.

Thanks to Polsky, Shouldice & Rosen, P.C. for their insight into workers compensation and examples of work injuries.