What medical expenses are covered under workers’ compensation? Common medical expenses covered under workers’ compensation in Chicago, Illinois include emergency medical services, doctor’s visits, surgical interventions, prescription medications, hospital stays, and physical therapy and rehabilitation. Medical cost coverage enables workers to get necessary medical treatment after getting injured or ill on the job.
Obtaining enough workers’ comp benefits to pay the full extent of your medical expenses and other losses is an arduous process. Fortunately, workers’ compensation lawyers know what is covered by workers’ compensation and can build a strong claim to maximize your benefits.
Call Martay Law Office at 312-374-6403 for assistance filing a workers’ comp claim and recovering a decent compensation. Consultations are free.
Workers’ compensation benefits cover any medical expenses arising out of a workplace injury. These expenses typically include:
A workplace accident may leave you with serious injuries that require urgent medical procedures. Workers’ comp will cover the cost of such procedures.
Your recovery may involve regular medical examinations by your treating doctor, follow-up appointments, and consultations with medical specialists. Your medical benefits under workers’ comp will pay for those expenses.
Your doctor may require you to take blood tests and imaging tests like X-rays and MRI(s). These tests help the doctor determine the nature and severity of your injury or illness. They also enable the doctor to keep track of your recovery journey.
You may require prescription medications to alleviate pain, prevent infection, and speed up recovery. The cost of such medications is part of the medical expense coverage.
Surgeries may be necessary to treat work-related injuries like severe bone fractures or breaks. You may need to stay in the hospital until you are stable enough to get discharged. You will incur admission charges, room fees, and medical procedure costs. All these expenses are usually included in medical coverage.
Work-related injuries can affect your ability to do your job duties and even result in long-term disability. Physical therapy and rehabilitation can help you regain your self-confidence and functionality for a safe and sustainable return to work. Workers’ comp will pay for physical therapy and rehabilitation provided it is declared medically necessary for your recovery.
Workers’ comp insurance will pay for your medical equipment. Medical equipment constitutes medical supplies like bedpans, wipes, and bandages, and durable medical equipment (DME) like crutches, orthopedic pillows, and wheelchairs. Medical benefits may also pay for modifications to your vehicle or home if your work injuries leave you with a permanent disability.
Numerous factors impact coverage amounts under a workers’ comp claim. These include:
A serious work injury attracts a higher value than a less serious one. Your claim will be worth more if you suffer serious injuries that prevent you from working. This is because work injuries that keep you from holding your previous role are more costly.
Some injuries sustained at work require ongoing or future medical care. Such injuries have a higher value than those that need one-time treatment. Injuries that will require surgical interventions in the future will attract higher compensation.
You may get higher medical expense coverage if your injuries need ongoing medication, physical therapy, and rehabilitation. Your treating doctor can assess your injuries to develop an appropriate treatment plan for the future.
Medical expert testimony is the cornerstone of a successful workers’ compensation claim. A doctor within your employer’s network of medical providers is less likely to support your claim. That’s why it pays to go to your own doctor. Your doctor knows your medical history and can determine when you are ready to return to work accurately and can testify in your favor.
You stand a better chance of obtaining decent compensation if your doctor is credible and has a history of handling work-related injuries.
Your claim value will increase if your injuries increase your risk of developing medical problems in the future. For instance, back injuries may make you susceptible to hip and knee injuries. Your workers’ comp benefits must account for the cost of treating such injuries in the future.
Your employer or workers’ comp insurer may deny your claim if your work injury is related to a previous injury or pre-existing medical issue. The employer or insurer may try to argue that your injury did not directly stem from work but a previous condition or injury.
Not hiring a lawyer is one of the mistakes to avoid when filing a workers’ comp claim. You may get a lower settlement or your claim denied altogether if you pursue your workers’ comp claim alone.
A lawyer with a history of resolving workers’ compensation can improve your chances of getting a reasonable settlement. Your lawyer will ensure you have filed all the paperwork correctly and complied with all the rules and regulations related to the workers’ comp claim. The lawyer will represent your best interests during negotiations with the insurer or workers’ comp hearing.
Aside from medical benefits, injured workers in Illinois are entitled to disability, vocational rehabilitation, and death benefits under worker’s comp.
Workers’ comp may offer you disability benefits if your work injury hurts your ability to work. These benefits fall into the following four categories:
You may be eligible to receive TPD benefits if your job-related injury has affected your ability to work, but has not left you totally disabled. You may, for instance, have sustained an injury that allows you to perform your pre-injury job duties on a part-time basis. Alternatively, you may have the capacity to do job duties in another position where your earnings will be lower than your pre-injury job. TPD benefits are usually 66.6% of the difference between your pre-injury wages and current wages.
You may receive TTD benefits if you must spend time away from work to seek treatment and recover from an on-the-job injury. You will continue receiving these benefits until you have recovered enough to return to work.
TTD benefits are 66.6% of your average weekly wage. You qualify for these benefits if your injuries keep you from working for three days. The first three working days will be included in the compensation if you miss work for 14 consecutive days. TPD benefits will stop once you have completed your treatment and returned to work.
You might qualify for PPD benefits if you have lost parts of your body or lost the ability to perform crucial job duties because of your injuries, and will not recover this functionality.
You may collect PTD benefits if you sustain a disabling work injury that keeps you from returning to employment for the rest of your life. Your doctor will assess if you have a permanent impairment or disability once you attain maximum medical improvement (MMI).
These benefits usually cover 66.6 % (or two-thirds) of your pre-injury average weekly wages. You will receive them for the rest of your life. Injured workers sometimes receive PTD benefits in lump sums to cover their future payments.
Your job-related injury may keep you from working in the same capacity as you did before, or from returning to the same workplace altogether. In this case, you will be entitled to vocational rehabilitation benefits.
These benefits will pay for rehabilitative training to help you regain your skills to work in your pre-injury position. If you cannot return to your previous job, they will cover the cost of training for another job.
Work injuries may result in fatalities. In such cases, the deceased worker’s loved ones are eligible to receive death benefits under workers’ compensation. These benefits cover the medical cost incurred by the worker before death, two-thirds of the worker’s earnings before death, and funeral and burial costs.
Workers’ compensation lawyers at Martay Law Office resolve workers’ comp cases in Chicago, Illinois. Contact us for legal help in pursuing workers’ comp benefits.
