Just about everyone has had sore and dry eyes after a long day at work or heard a ringing sound in their ears after being exposed to loud noises over the course of a shift. As you may have unfortunately learned, though, not all forms of work-related eye and ear damage are quite so innocuous. Injuries to these parts of the body can sometimes be permanent and debilitating, not to mention life-altering.
If you have experienced severe loss of sight or your ability to hear as a result of a workplace accident or your working conditions, you likely have grounds to file a workers’ compensation claim. If you want to get the best possible result from your case, you should retain the services of a Summerlin workplace hearing and vision loss lawyer from Shook & Stone.
Are Hearing and Vision Loss Considered Permanent Total Disabilities?
In addition to reimbursement for all reasonably necessary medical expenses and temporary disability benefits to cover short-term loss of income, workers’ compensation in Nevada also provides long-term benefits to account for loss of working capacity caused by permanent disability. As your attorney can explain in more detail, not all workplace injuries in Summerlin, Rhodes Ranch, Sovana, and Sun City are treated equally, including those resulting in significant vision or hearing loss.
Under state law, any work-related injury or illness that results in someone losing all sight in both eyes is automatically considered permanently and totally disabling, which would make that injured worker eligible for permanent total disability benefits. Outside of that scenario, though, hearing and vision loss are generally considered only partial disabilities that do not completely prevent the injured person from performing at least some kind of work.
Calculating the Value of Permanent Partial Disability Benefits
The value of permanent disability benefits provided to someone who suffers permanent damage to their eyes or ears on the job is determined by the “rating” given to their condition by their treating physicians. A rating of 100 percent would mean your doctors consider you to be so severely disabled that you cannot perform any kind of gainful employment whatsoever. In comparison, a rating of 0 percent would mean that you have suffered no loss of or change in any bodily function and, therefore, no decline in your working and earning ability.
If you are assigned a disability rating between those two extremes, you would generally be eligible to receive 0.6 percent of your average pre-injury weekly wage for every percentage of impairment. So, for example, a disability rating of 50 percent would make you eligible to receive 30 percent of your pre-injury weekly wage as permanent partial disability benefits. This is just a basic formula that can be adjusted when appropriate, though, so it is worth discussing what kinds of benefits your workplace hearing or vision loss may make you eligible for with a qualified Summerlin lawyer.
Consider Working With a Summerlin Workplace Hearing and Vision Loss Attorney
No amount of money can completely make up for being rendered permanently unable to see or hear as you once could due to a work-related accident or illness. With that said, you still deserve benefits through your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance after being hurt in this way, and you have help available from seasoned legal counsel to maximize the value of those benefits.
A conversation with a Summerlin workplace hearing and vision loss lawyer from Shook & Stone can give you answers to pressing questions and confidence about the next steps to take in your unique circumstances. Call us today to schedule a free consultation.
