If you have ever gotten sick or hurt at work, then you might have wondered if you can file for workers’ compensation. Depending on your employment status, the company you work for, and the type and cause of your injury, your eligibility for these benefits could vary. Workers’ compensation is a very complicated system, which is why you must follow the rules in order to reap the rewards.

Understanding Workers’ Compensation

Workers’ compensation is a form of insurance that employers carry to offer to employees who get injured or sick in the course of their work. This means that if you get hurt while doing your normal job, then you might be able to qualify for the benefits provided by this policy.

Your company’s workers’ compensation plan is designed to pay you a supplementary income following an on-the-job injury, regardless of whose fault the accident was. Due to your incapacitation, your regular ability to make an income might diminish. However, with workers’ compensation paying in place of your ordinary paycheck, your own financial security will not be under stress.

Injuries That Qualify for Workers’ Compensation

Most states require most business owners to carry workers’ compensation insurance. However, these policies will strictly define when an employee can file a claim against them. Therefore, not every on-the-job injury will qualify for a claim. Those that will usually include:

• Machinery injuries or burns
• Slip-and-fall injuries
• Head injuries from falling objects
• Repetitive motion injuries caused by doing the same manual task repeatedly
• Toxic exposure injuries from working in hazardous environments

To successfully file for their benefits, an employee must medically verify that their injury arose as a result of their work. Usually, you will have to see a physician approved by the workers’ compensation insurer who will submit appropriate documentation to them.

There are sometimes some blurred standards as far as what qualifies as an on-the-job injury. For example, if you fall and get hurt while walking to the restroom, then you might qualify for benefits even though you were taking care of personal business at the time. However, if you leave your company premises to go to lunch, then accidents that occur while you are out eating might not qualify. Nevertheless, injuries sustained in a commercial vehicle accident (outside of ordinary commuting) might qualify for payments.

Depending on your claim and the type of injuries you sustain, the value and duration of the benefits you receive can vary. By working with your employer, your workers’ compensation insurer and the local workers’ compensation authorities, you will be able to ensure that you get perfected benefits at the right times.