If you have been injured or fallen ill on the job, you may wonder how you are going to be able to pay for your medical bills or collect wages when you need to spend time recovering from your injury. You will need to talk to your employer about their workers' compensation policy and determine what coverage they have and how you will go about filing a claim for workers' compensation. While state law varies from state to state, all employers must have workers' compensation coverage on their employees in order to protect both the employee and the business when an employee is injured. This article will provide you with a brief overview on workers' compensation.
Coverage Even When the Employee is at Fault
Workers' compensation is in place to cover employees if they are injured on the job. The coverage is meant to protect the employer from being sued by an employee who becomes injured, and it's also in place to help the employee be able to collect some money as they spend time out of work recovering from their injury. The employee does not have to worry about whether or not the injury was their fault, as the workers' compensation policy allows employees to file claims even if the employee made a mistake that caused their injury.
However, if the employee purposely caused the injury by self-infliction or another purposeful manner, most likely the employee will not qualify for workers' compensation.
Protects the Employer from Losing Valuable Assets
Another benefit of the workers' compensation program is that the employer's assets are protected if their employees become injured or ill because of their job duties. Without workers' compensation in place, the employee would be able to sue the employer for compensation due to their injuries, and the employee would need to seek compensation from the assets of the employer. It would only take a few lawsuits before the employer ran out of assets and money. Workers' compensation protects the employer from losing their assets because money paid to the employee would come from the workers' compensation insurance policy instead.
Talk with a workers compensation lawyer if you find yourself injured due to a job related duty. You will need to have proof that the injury happened on the job, and medical documentation to back up your claim that the injury is severe enough to keep you out of work. While the policy is in place to protect you, it's possible without the right kind of proof, your claim could be denied.
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