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Many people recover from work injuries, even those that are serious or life-threatening in nature. However, not all of them do and many employees are left with permanent disabilities caused by an on-the-job injury. Here’s what you should know if you stop getting better following a work accident and how a workers’ compensation attorney can provide the legal support you need.
If your work injury was severe, healing may take several months or more. You may need surgery, rehabilitation, and physical therapy for more than a year before seeing maximum improvement. Take things in stride and remember that recovery is often two steps forward, one step back.
Workers’ comp insurance is often hesitant to say that an employee has reached Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI). This essentially means that the employee has recovered as much as they can and further treatments are not expected to meaningfully improve their medical condition.
Workers’ compensation companies generally deny claims as often as possible to maintain their revenue, and approving lifetime or ongoing compensation for permanent disabilities certainly doesn’t fit this goal. It’s usually in your best interests to be evaluated for MMI by an independent, third-party physician who can provide an unbiased assessment of your medical condition, along with records to indicate how the doctor reached that conclusion.
If you’ve reached Maximum Medical Improvement after a job-related injury, you will need to fight hard to obtain ongoing compensation. Few if any workers’ comp insurance companies are interested in paying claims at all, let alone those that require them to make payments for the duration of an employee’s life.
You can expect to need as much compelling evidence as possible to prove that you are permanently injured and will not be able to replace the income lost with either similar or different work. Workers’ comp insurers will likely do everything they can to suggest that your injuries aren’t permanent or were caused by something else, etc.
Were you injured on the job in Louisiana? The Wanko Law Firm, LLC can help you file a workers’ compensation claim and fight for the income and medical benefits you need after a work accident. Call today at (985) 202-9907.
Indemnity/Lost Wages — weekly payments based upon your average weekly wage; you will receive 66% of your average weekly wage capped at a maximum rate
Medical and/or Death — covers all necessary and reasonable medical treatment, including doctors visits, diagnostic tests, hospital stays, surgery, physical therapy, etc.
Mileage Reimbursement — travel related expenses to and from health care provider, pharmacy, etc. Vocational Rehabilitation program designed to retrain you in an attempt to return you to work for your previous employer, or find new work.
