There is no minimum length of time off work or minimum expense incurred before an injured employee qualifies for worker’s compensation. Instead, the level of the disability that the illness or injury presents are determining factors.

A worker who suffers a temporary disability can receive weekly payments until a doctor has found him or her to have reached maximum medical improvement – a point where the improvement has leveled off. For a permanent disability, the benefits may continue as long as the disability does.

Worker’s compensation payments cover more than just medical bills, but only for work-related injuries or sickness. It can also provide payments for:

• Temporary Total Disability (TTD) – for injuries that prevent the employee from working at all right now, but they may recover later
• Permanent Partial Disability (PPD) – a lump sum for permanent disabilities that do not seriously interrupt the employee’s ability to work; PPD can apply after return to work following TTD
• Permanent Total Disability (PTD) – a lump sum for an injury that prevents employees from working at all and from which they will not recover
• Supplemental Earnings Benefits (SEB) – available if the employee returns to work after TTD but is unable to earn at least 90% of pre-injury wages
• Catastrophic injury – a one-time payment of $50,000 for a serious injury resulting in loss of limb or paraplegia
• Death benefits for surviving family members

An injured worker can only receive one of these types of benefits at a time but a workers’ compensation attorney can assist in determining which benefit is right for you at which time.

Any injury or illness suffered in the course of employment is considered a covered workplace injury. In contrast, injuries that occur when taking a lunch break or otherwise not acting to further the employer’s purpose fall outside the coverage of workers’ comp.

Workplace injuries must be reported to the employer within 30 days, though sooner is better. Not only is a more immediate report going to be viewed as more reliable, but the date of the report begins the countdown to the first payment.

Workplace injuries must be reported to the employer within 30 days, though sooner is better. Not only is a more immediate report going to be viewed as more reliable, but the date of the report begins the countdown to the first payment.

An injured worker is not required to have a workmans comp lawyer during the process but working with one can be very beneficial. An attorney is especially important if your claim involves disabilities that may involve other types of reimbursement, like Social Security Disability, or a potential lawsuit against another party, such as a product liability claim against a manufacturer of a defective product that caused the injury.