In Missouri, every employee should be entitled to receive benefits if he or she has been injured while carrying out the duties of the job or performing tasks or actions that would benefit their employer or company. This applies to companies that employ at least five or more people.
If you believe this applies to your situation and you have been injured at work, let our St. Charles County workers’ comp attorneys assist you. Is it your right to seek compensation if you have been injured while at work. Workers’ comp can be used to pay the costs of your medical bills, lost wages, rehabilitation and therapy, and any other expenses lost due to the incident. So that you can receive these benefits, you must file a workers’ compensation claim. Coyne Cundiff and Hillemann, PC can help you.
Continue reading our blog below for more information about workers’ compensation claims!
The First Steps After Being Injured
If you have sustained an injury or have suffered an occupational disease, you should find emergency medical care. You should inform your employer about the injury immediately after. Without doing this, it can make the process problematic, and even invalidate your chances of having a successful workers’ comp claim. In Missouri, you have 30 days to report the injury to your employer.
You must include the following details in your report:
- The specifics regarding your injury
- The date, time, and location where you were injured
- The nature and extent of the injury or illness
- All current contact information
Your workers’ comp claim will entitle you to receive the following:
- Temporary partial disability: Approximately 66.66% of the wages that you sustained prior to being injured and wages after the injury, with the expectation that you will still be able to return to work.
- Temporary total disability: You will be entitled to receive two-thirds or 66.67% of your earnings if you are not able to return to work because of the injury.
- Permanent partial disability: You might expect to receive two-thirds or 66.67% of your weekly wages from the date of your injury, capped at the max that has been set by Missouri state law. The payout may be given in a lump sum, which will depend on the extent the disability.
- Permanent total disability: You might expect to receive two-thirds or 66.67% of your average weekly pay, which will be paid over the course of your lifetime in installments or in one lump sum if the injury causes total and permanent disability.
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It is your employer’s responsibility to then arrange some form of medical care. The workers’ comp benefits that your employer has may have a list of approved doctors for you to see. You should be expected to receive care until the doctor believes that you have reached Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI). In other words, you have fully healed from your injury or illness. Many factors can contribute to the overall outcome of your workers’ comp claim. For example, if you had a pre-existing injury that was aggravated by the work injury. It also will factor on the type and extent of your injury or the illness.
If you have any questions whatsoever and would like to discuss your particular workers’ comp case, please feel free to contact us to request an appointment.