What are the workers’ comp benefits for construction workers?

Many construction workers get injured at their work site. It is a dangerous job, and injuries can occur when dealing with big machines and heavy materials, along with potentially unsafe conditions. For that reason, it is important to understand some things about workers’ compensation.

What is it?

Workers’ compensation is the set of laws detailing the benefits that an injured employee is entitled to. Those benefits include — provided eligibility criteria are met — medical expenses and lost wages. It can make a critical difference for employees who get injured.

What medical care is covered?

All treatment that is considered to be reasonable and necessary in order to address the effects of the injury is covered. This includes medical bills and prescriptions, and may even include round trip mileage for hospital trips.

Additionally, the injured employee may be eligible for temporary disability payments. Their eligibility is based on needing to take time away from work because of the injury they suffered. The payments may not be equal the same amount as the wages that the employee would have earned during the time away from work.

What about permanent disability?

There are situations in which a worker is injured so severely that he or she isn’t capable of working at the level that he or she could work at prior to the injury. In those cases, they may be entitled to a substantial monetary reward. The amount of that reward is determined by the nature of their disability, their age, their occupation and their earnings to that point.

Of course, there is much more to know about workers’ compensation. Pursuing a case can be a complex process, which is why having an attorney to guide you through it is critical.

Source: FindLaw, “Construction Accident and Workers’ Compensation,” accessed Feb. 26, 2016