While workers’ compensation is not designed to completely replace the money you would have made if you were healthy enough to perform your normal job duties, it can still be a crucial source of support as you recover from a work-related injury or illness. However, the actual amount of support you get in financial terms can vary a lot depending on the nature of your injury or illness, as well as on what type of work you did before getting hurt or sick and what you will be able to do after reaching Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI).
Knowing a little in advance about what kinds of workers’ compensation benefits in Summerlin may be available to you after a work-related accident can be helpful when it comes time to file a claim. With that in mind, here is a broad overview of what benefits a typical workers’ comp plan may provide, each of which the seasoned workers’ compensation lawyers at Shook & Stone could help you incorporate into your claim as needed.
If your work-related injury or illness is severe enough to prevent you from working for more than five days, you may be eligible to receive temporary total disability (TTD) benefits through workers’ comp equal to two-thirds of your average weekly pre-injury wage. If you are able to perform some work-related tasks while recovering, you may be eligible to receive the difference between two-thirds of your average pre-injury wage and your current weekly earnings during recovery paid to you as temporary partial disability (TPD) benefits for up to 24 months.
Similarly, if a work-related injury or illness renders you permanently unable to return to your old job, you may be eligible for permanent partial disability (PPD) or permanent total disability (PTD) benefits depending on the severity of your injury or illness after you reach MMI. PPD benefits are usually equal to 0.6 percent of your average monthly pre-injury wage multiplied by each percentage point out of 100 in the disability “rating” assigned to you by your physicians, payable either for five years after TTD benefits end or until you turn 70. PTD payments are payable until your disability is gone or until you pass away.
All injured and sick employees eligible for workers’ compensation benefits in Summerlin, Rhodes Ranch, Sovana, and Sun City can seek full reimbursement for the costs of all medical treatment which is “reasonably necessary” to help them reach MMI. If applicable, claimants can also seek reimbursement for travel expenses to and from doctors’ appointment, calculated by the mile.
Under some circumstances, injured and sick workers who cannot return to their old job after reaching MMI can receive vocational rehabilitation and job training services through workers’ comp. Finally, surviving spouses or dependents of employees who pass away due to a work-related injury or illness can receive up to $10,000 for funeral and burial costs plus payments equal to what the employee would have received as TTD benefits.
Even if you know what benefits you need and are ostensibly entitled to under state law, getting a positive result from a workers’ comp claim in Nevada can be far from a simple process. In fact, it is not at all uncommon for workers pursuing these claims to find that their insurance provider wants to give them much less compensation than the amount they actually need, or even reject their claim altogether.
Overcoming obstacles like these and ensuring you get the workers’ compensation benefits in Summerlin you need will be much easier with a knowledgeable workers’ comp attorney on your side. Call Shook & Stone today for a free consultation.