After an on-the-job accident, you may be sorting through a lot of information from your employer, your doctors, and others. It can be easy to get overwhelmed and confused. However, it is important not to let all this information stand between you and the workers’ compensation benefits you may deserve. Below, we explain some essential numbers you need to know about workers’ compensation benefits.
80 percent
Eligible workers receive about 80 percent of their average weekly wages after taxes when they collect workers’ compensation. However, insurance companies can and often do adjust these payments by other benefits you may have already received or expected to receive.
7 days
This number is a waiting period before you can receive wage-loss benefits. These seven days must be consecutive, and you must be unable to work during this time. On the eighth day, you can start receiving wage-loss benefits.
If your injury prevents you from working for two weeks, you can receive benefits for those first seven days when you were not paid.
28 days
During the first 28 days after your injury or illness, your employer or their insurance company can choose your medical provider. After this period, you can select your own doctors. However, you should notify the insurance company and your employer of any changes you decide to make at that point.
Day 1
You should be eligible for medical benefits on the day of your injury. Note that you should notify your employer of your injury as soon as possible to avoid any confusion or delays in receiving your benefits.
It is also helpful to know that workers are eligible for benefits from day one of their jobs. In other words, you need not prove you have been employed for a certain amount of time to collect workers’ compensation benefits.
You might be hearing a lot of numbers after a work accident, but understanding the above can help you assess your options. And when your employer or insurance company start giving out numbers for pay-outs, you can rely on your attorney to help you determine what is fair rather than figuring things out on your own.