Workers’ Compensation: What Does It Entail?

Workplace incidents are quite common in North Carolina. According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, private industries reported approximately 64,900 nonfatal occupational accidents in North Carolina in 2020, making it necessary for employers to provide their employees with legally appropriate compensatory settlements or workers’ compensation.

With the help of a Charlotte work injury lawyer you can obtain your lawful compensation in case you’ve sustained workplace injuries.

Workers’ Compensation Defined

In its simplest meaning, workers’ compensation is the reimbursement that the place of work has to make sure their employee is compensated if they develop an occupational injury or illness due to workplace materials, equipment, or other work activities. Under the business insurance policy, workers’ compensation comes to cater to employees with benefits against their exposure to any workplace accident. 

Nevertheless, in order to attain access to these compensations, both the employer and employee must obey some specific steps to certify that the damage is compensable. The process comprises all the crucial members: the employee, the employer, the insurance company, the healthcare provider, and the state’s board of workers’ compensation.

If you live in Charlotte and need some legal assistance regarding workers’ compensation, Charlotte work injury lawyers are there to help you.

When Is the Right Time to Claim Workers’ Compensation?

Suppose the employee proves that the occupational catastrophes are the cause of their injury. In that case, they are eligible for workers’ compensation and can obtain medical benefits, wage settlements followed by some other assistance. However, there is only a petite time frame where workers can claim and receive compensation against workplace injury. 

Hence, it is best for you to report the injury to your employer right when it occurs. If the wounded delays filing the claim, no matter the reason, the insurance company can easily refuse the compensatory benefits grounding their claims on fake bases, such as the accident was caused by an employee’s personal negligence or happened outside the office premises.

Additionally, the unnecessary delay by the employee indirectly leaves the employer and insurance company with the impression that their accusation is illegitimate.

What Workplace Injuries/Illness Does Workers’ Compensation Cover?

Typically, workers’ compensation covers injuries caused by occupational accidents. However, in some cases, you may quickly obtain the compensatory benefits, while in others, you may not, despite the level of grievance you have been through. Some examples of accidents covered by workers’ compensation are as follows: 

1. Carpal tunnel accidents 
2. Spinal injuries from continuous movement
3. Lung injury caused by breathing toxic substances
4. Slip and fall cases at the workplace
5. Car accident injuries while driving for corporate purposes

Workplace Injuries/Illness Not Covered by Workers’ Compensation

As mentioned above, in a lot of cases, despite the amount of harm you may have borne, you may still be ineligible to fulfill the criteria for receiving workers’ compensation. Such cases include:

• An employee suffering from stress or any other psychiatric disorder(s)
• An employee going through self-executed injuries
• An employee having damages caused by their hostile actions 
• Employee injuries occurred in criminal delinquencies, under the influence, or while not abiding by company policies
• The employee was outside the office premises at the time of the injury

What Does Workers’ Compensation Typically Provide?

Anyone who has experienced an occupational illness or injury is entitled to receive their righteous compensation from the respective firm’s insurance company. Typically, compensation by insurance companies at every place of work aims to provide:

• Supporting amenities to firms of diverse industries and backgrounds
• Endorse employee security
• Acquire employees back to service or provisional work
• Help give access to train individuals for a novel expertise

Although these insurance companies provide benefits to employees, they are not responsible for covering the employee’s costs. The actual employee costs are borne by the employer who pays insurance companies for covering workers’ compensation. 

What Should Be the Employee’s Steps?

The entire process of obtaining workers’ compensation begins when the employee receives medical treatment for the injury. The first step towards acquiring workers’ compensation is receiving swift medical treatment. Besides, employees must record their medical documents for a smoother filing process. If the injury does not hurt initially, there are high chances of it nurturing inside and turning into a more severe ache, making it extremely important to seek immediate medical attention even more.

The next step is reporting to your employer about the accident as soon as possible. The written notification about the event’s occurrence is essential even if you have already communicated a verbal stance of the incident. 

Laws may differ from one state to another. If you as an employee are unsure about whether the injury has been caused by a workplace accident or not, it is still the best decision to report to your employer. So that if you go through any injury complications in the future, you can still be considered to meet the workers’ compensation criteria.  

Steps to Obtain Workers’ Compensation After the Employer Has Been Informed

After you have informed your employer about the occupational accident, the actual process of workers’ compensation can start, beginning with the injured employee filling out the official forms given by the employer.

Despite a few variations, every state typically involves queries about the type of business you work at, the injury you are suffering from, and the insurance company’s specifications. Other significant details include the place of injury, some minute details about the incident, medical assistance needed for the injury, etc. Often, businesses are made obligatory to provide workers’ compensation policy particulars and forms to new workers upon their employment.

How Can a Charlotte Work Injury Lawyer Help with Workers’ Compensation and Insurance Companies?

If you face trouble obtaining rightful workers’ compensation, you should contact a reliable Charlotte personal injury lawyer. We lead the list of best work injury lawyers in the city with the finest attorneys available 24/7 at your service.