You’ve been injured at work, which can be a nightmare for so many reasons. Unfortunately, injuries do happen, and sometimes they will prevent you from working for a few weeks or even months.
Who Will Pay My Medical Bills?
Being out of work for just a few weeks with no paycheck coming in will put an unwanted strain on your family’s financial situation. It’s the last thing you want to have happen. If you are a part-time employee, you’re probably wondering if there is any compensation from your employer.
Employers in Arizona are required by law to provide workers’ compensation to all employees, regardless of whether they are full-time or part-time workers. The Industrial Commission of Arizona (ICA) supervises the workers’ compensation program. Employees do not have to contribute in any way to the workers’ comp program.
Worker compensation laws cover every aspect of job injuries. It doesn’t matter how you got hurt, if it was your fault or not; you can still be eligible for compensation benefits if the injury arose out of and in the course of your job. Depending on the nature of the injury, you may end up being eligible for permanent (life-long) compensation.
What Benefits am I Eligible to receive?
You have to be injured at work in order to qualify for workers’ comp benefits. Any work-related injury has the potential to qualify for compensation. This can include injuries sustained while traveling as part of your job.
That’s why it’s so important, if you have been injured at work, to contact a work comp attorney. There’s a lot to know about weaving your way through the convoluted paths of the Workers’ Compensation world. Your work comp attorney will best be able to guide you successfully through all of the claims and paperwork to be filed and help to ensure that your claim is given fair treatment by the State, the insurance carrier and employer.
Once in the worker’s compensation program, there are several benefits that you may be entitled to receive. Medical expenses are covered without deductible or co-pay, as are temporary disability compensation benefits, depending on your earning capacity, while you are under care to improve your condition. There are also permanent disability benefits that depend upon the part of the body that was injured and, in appropriate claims, the impact on your ability to earn.
In addition, there are other financial benefits which may be obtained depending on your particular circumstance. It can be confusing and most often not an area where you should venture without expert advice. That’s why it’s so important to contact a work comp attorney to start the process for you as soon as you are injured.
