What Benefits Do You Get From A Workers' Compensation Policy?

Workers' compensation is an insurance policy that covers employees from work-related injuries and illnesses. However, not all accidents will be approved for benefits. Here are some benefits and areas of coverage you can expect from your workers' compensation policy.

Medical Care Costs

The main thing that your workers' compensation policy will cover is medical care. This may include co-pays paid when visiting the doctor, staying at the hospital or getting prescriptions; the cost of home or hospice care; physical therapy or occupational therapy; mental health therapy; and surgical procedures. It is important that you keep track of all receipts whenever you receive medical care following the injury or illness. These are used when filing your claim. Also keep in mind there may be certain doctors you must go to for your medical care to be covered by the policy.

Loss of Income

Another big benefit to having workers' compensation coverage is having your loss of income covered. This is related to having a disability that keeps you from working for an extended period of time. You will have to miss work for a certain period of time before the income benefits kick in. They will be based on your average salary and what level of disability you have. If you have a permanent, full-time disability, you will receive more benefits than if you have partial disability. If you can work a minimal amount of hours, you may still get some benefits.

Vocational Rehabilitation

If, due to your injury, you can't return to your normal job, you might be able to get vocational rehabilitation that helps you train for another job. For example, if you were a truck driver and got into an accident that broke one or both of your legs, you wouldn't be able to drive until you healed completely. In this case, you could go to vocational rehabilitation to learn office work or how to be a dispatcher at your company. The cost of the courses would be covered by the workers' compensation policy.

Exceptions

In order to get these benefits, you must be able to prove that you received the injury or illness at work or while performing work duties. You may be denied benefits under several different circumstances. For example, if you were warned to be safer around equipment in the warehouse and didn't listen, your injuries might not be covered. This is especially true if you were warned multiple times but were still negligent. Another reason you could be denied benefits is if you were under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the incident.

For more information on this topic, or if you need help getting the compensation you deserve, contact an experienced workers compensation attorney. 

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