Under Worker Compensation Laws in San Antonio TX, injured employees are legally entitled to certain benefits. Injured parties have the right to reasonable treatment to relieve or cure the effects of work-related injuries. Included under compensation plans are prescriptions, medical bills, and trips to the hospital. Under certain plans, patients may have to use company doctors for thirty days; after that, the patient can go to any doctor they choose as long as a written request is submitted.
Temporary Disabilities
If an injured worker has to take time off for medical reasons, they may be entitled to receive disability payments on a temporary basis. These payments partially compensate workers for lost wages, and there are minimum and maximum limits. Most workers receive roughly 2/3 of their weekly gross, and checks come every two weeks. After the employee’s inability to work is verified, the first check should arrive within a month.
Permanent Disabilities
If a person can’t recover from a workplace injury, they may be entitled to compensation for permanent disability. Here, the injured worker has lost some or all of their ability to compete in the open work market. Rates and amounts in disability claims depend on the limitations placed upon the worker’s activities, and other elements such as age, earnings and occupation are also considered. The determination of partial or complete disability can cost a company thousands of dollars, in the form of future wage compensation.
Vocational Rehab
If a workplace injury keeps a worker from going back to his or her old job, that person may be able to get vocational rehabilitation as part of Worker Compensation Laws in San Antonio TX. During the rehab phase, partial income is paid. Benefits have a maximum limit, and can be replaced by an offer of a different job from the same employer.
Effects of Going Back to Work
When an injured employee returns to work and receives wages equal to what was earned before the injury, workers’ comp benefits will cease. However, if the employee is still losing money due to the injury, he or she may still continue to receive benefits at a lesser rate.
Workplace injuries are a part of life, but employers are required to carry workers’ compensation insurance for this very reason. However, claims don’t always go smoothly, and you could look here for a lawyer’s help.
