SpiritOne
Suffering a back injury can be unimaginably painful, so can be its treatment. But that’s not all; the cost of therapy for treating back damage only adds insult to injury. However, the silver lining is that a patient can get compensation if they have insurance or if someone else is responsible for the accident, depending on the cause. While there are many causes of back impairment. But, getting hurt on the job is a common factor, warranting a workers’ compensation settlement.
Workers’ compensation or workers’ comp refers to a security plan that helps employees and employers bear the cost of treatment in case of a work-related injury. It’s no secret that hospital bills can become unbearably high, making it difficult for an average Joe to bear the expenses. Therefore, seeking workers’ compensation settlement is essential. However, doing so can be tricky for many people as they don’t know much about the modalities of workers’ comp.
To help you with the frequently asked workers’ compensation back injury settlement questions, here is a detailed guide on the matter.
What Does Workers’ Compensation Back Injury Settlement Cover?
Like all forms of worker compensatory programs, a back injury covers all expenses incurred due to an accident at work. These include
- Hospital bills
- Medication charges
- Equipment cost- if the injured individual has to use any.
- Care cost- if the injured employee requires a caregiver to look after them
If a person loses their life as a result of a back injury, then the worker’s compensation will also cover funeral costs. It may be rare, but in some cases, a spinal injury can get worse and result in death.
What Does Workers’ Compensation Back Injury Settlement Not Cover?
Typically, worker’s comp covers all work-related back injuries, but there are instances when it doesn’t.
- When an employee is inebriated at work and gets hurt
- If an employee gets into a fight
- The employee gets hurt intentionally to get out of doing an assignment
- If an employee becomes emotionally distressed for work-related reasons.
How Can A Person Claim Workers’ Compensation?
If you get injured on the job or while away for a task, you need to inform your superior right away. If you wait, they may question the severity of the injury.
When notifying the supervisor, be sure to include the following details.
- The date/day of the incident
- Time of the incident
- Cause of the injury
Except for Texas and New Jersey, all American states mandate businesses to purchase a workers’ compensation plan. So if you live in the two states mentioned above, you should look into your company’s policy regarding job-related injuries if it doesn’t have workers’ compensation security. Either way, be sure to let your supervisor know when you sustain a back injury.
Details Required For Filing a Workers’ Comp Settlement Claim
Like all legal documentation procedures, filing a back injury settlement claim will require you to submit the following details.
- Company details including name, location, account number, etc
- The hurt employee’s details, like their name, age, gender, social security number, contact, address, employment year, etc.
- Details of the incident, including the place, date, time, cause, witnesses, etc.
How Much Can You Get?
Generally, how much an injured worker gets out of a workers’ compensation claim varies from case to case, depending on the severity of the injury. However, the overall limit is estimated to be between $20000- $25000, according to Martindale-Nolo’s research.
Meeting The Doctor: Questions To Ask To Support Your Claim
When asking for compensation for a back injury at work, you need a doctor’s note certifying the damage to your spine or tissue. For this reason, you need to ask a bunch of detailed questions to the medical expert to cover all your bases. Meaning, you should inquire about all the possible outcomes of your injury, like future discomfort, any lifelong abnormalities or deformation, etc.
Here are all the questions you should ask a healthcare professional for workers’ comp back-injury settlement.
- Where is the damage- the actual site of injury? Obviously, your entire back is not likely to sustain trauma. Therefore, find the exact location of the wound.
- Has the impact affected your spine?
- Have you sustained any fractures?
- How severe is the injury?
- What is the level of impairment?
- Is there a possibility of paralysis?
- Could you require neurological rehabilitation now or down the road?
- Will you need any more therapies in the future?
- Do you need physical therapy?
- Should you expect any additional issues to other parts of the body?
- Will your ability to engage in physical relations be affected?
- Will you be able to have kids?
- If you are paralyzed, how long is it going to last?
- Can your movement be restored?
- Will you need any equipment to lead an ordinary life?
- How do you manage the pain?
- Are there any medications that can impede the healing process?
- Do you require medicines?
- What should you do if you are allergic to any prescribed drug?
- How can your injury affect your work?
- Do you need to take particular measures on the job to prevent exacerbation?
If you have more queries, feel free to ask your doctor so that all possible present and future expenses are compensated accordingly.
Who Doesn’t Benefit From Workers’ Compensation?
Although typically all employees get monetary compensation by workers’ settlements, some may not come under its protection.
The workers ‘ compensation programs do not cover people working in the informal economy, domestic workers, freelancers, and part-time or seasonal employees. If you have sustained a back injury on your part-time job, you might have to use other means, like health insurance, to pay for the costs.
Find Out If You Have Workers’ Compensation Entitlement
If you are not sure if your employer has invested in a security program to take care of all back-injury-related costs, you need to find it out. If not, you should look into other insurance plans to manage your hospital bills if you get hurt on the job.
