Workers Compensation Lawyer

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, roughly six million workers suffer as a result of non-fatal work-related injuries in the U.S. annually. An additional 6,000 workers lose their lives as a result of their injuries. The number of Americans and foreign nationals working in the U.S. who struggle as a result of generally preventable work-related injuries is staggering. If you have been injured on the job, you are certainly not alone.

The workers’ compensation system is generally no-fault. This means that workers tend to remain eligible for benefits regardless of who or what caused an injurious accident. A notable exception involves purposeful injury for the purpose of collecting benefits. But this situation almost never occurs. In addition, workers’ compensation benefits tend to be available for a host of different injury types. The broad nature of workers’ compensation eligibility helps to ensure that a wide variety of workers are able to take advantage of this system. Whether a worker has slipped and hit his head on a pole while working on a fishing boat or a factory worker has become ill due to chemicals she has inhaled, most injury types are covered under workers’ compensation guidelines.

It is worth noting that every state’s workers’ compensation system varies. This means that one injury type may be covered by a specific state’s system but not by another. In addition, it is important to understand that not every worker is eligible for workers’ compensation coverage. Notably, individuals who are employed as contractors are generally not eligible for benefits. If you have questions about your eligibility or exceptions to broad coverage rules, please speak with an attorney in your state.

Qualifying Injuries

If an employee is eligible for workers’ compensation benefits coverage, the primary question an insurer will ask is whether a specific injury occurred within the scope of employment. Essentially, an injury must occur on the job or within the scope of a worker’s job in order to be render the injured individual eligible for compensation. For example, a full-time truck driver injured while driving his or her route would be eligible for compensation. An office worker running errands on behalf of the office while he or she is on the clock would likely be eligible for compensation in the event of an accident. However, an individual commuting to or from work who is off the clock would likely not be eligible for compensation in the event of an accident.

Legal Assistance Is Available

If you have questions about the workers’ compensation process generally or your eligibility for benefits specifically, please consider contacting an experienced lawyer. Attorneys whose practices specialize in workers’ compensation issues will be best placed to advise you of your legal options after learning about your unique circumstances. Speaking with an attorney will not commit you to filing a claim. It will simply allow your decisions to be informed. If you do decide to file a claim, working with a workers compensation lawyer relies on will make the filing process less burdensome so that you may focus on your recovery.

A work injury lawyer from Law Offices of Franks, Koenig & Neuwelt will meet and evaluate your case and then provide you with the legal options you may have.