Fort Lauderdale FL Work Injury Lawyer
If you’ve been injured on the job, you might need to turn to our skilled Fort Lauderdale, FL work injury lawyer for legal counsel. Workers’ compensation policies are intended to protect employees who sustain injuries while working, but some workers may find that these policies are more confusing than helpful. Injured employees may seek counsel from a lawyer simply because they aren’t sure where to start.
At the Law Offices of Franks, Koenig & Neuwelt, we understand that it’s not always easy for injured workers to interpret the complicated forms and documents that are necessary in a workers’ compensation case.
Table of Contents
- Understanding The Types Of Workers’ Compensation Benefits Available
- Florida Workers’ Compensation Claims
- Making A Workers’ Compensation Claim
- Fort Lauderdale Work Injury Infographic
- Fort Lauderdale Work Injury Law FAQs
- Fort Lauderdale Work Injury Statistics
- Contact The Work Injury Lawyers Fort Lauderdale Trusts
Understanding the Types of Workers’ Compensation Benefits Available
Navigating the complexities of workers’ compensation can be challenging. At Franks, Koenig & Neuwelt, we believe that understanding your rights and the benefits available to you is crucial in ensuring that you receive the support you deserve after a workplace injury. Here are the various types of workers’ compensation benefits and how they can help you during your recovery.
1. Medical Benefits: Medical benefits cover all necessary medical treatments related to your workplace injury or illness. This includes hospital visits, medications, physical therapy, and any necessary surgeries. The goal is to ensure you receive the appropriate care without bearing the financial burden of the treatment costs.
2. Temporary Disability Benefits: If your injury or illness prevents you from working temporarily, you may be eligible for temporary disability benefits. These benefits typically consist of a portion of your regular wages and continue until you can return to work or reach maximum medical improvement. There are two types of temporary disability benefits:
- Temporary Total Disability (TTD): If you are completely unable to work during recovery.
- Temporary Partial Disability (TPD): If you can return to work but with reduced hours or duties.
3. Permanent Disability Benefits: Some injuries result in permanent impairment, affecting your ability to earn a living. Permanent disability benefits are designed to compensate you based on the severity of your impairment. The calculation of these benefits can be complex and is often influenced by factors such as your age, occupation, and the specific nature of your disability.
4. Rehabilitation Benefits: In cases where an injury requires retraining or rehabilitation to return to work, workers’ compensation may cover these services. This could include vocational training, education, or job placement assistance to help you adapt to new employment conditions or roles.
5. Death Benefits: In the tragic event that a workplace injury results in death, workers’ compensation provides benefits to the dependents of the deceased. These benefits usually include a portion of the deceased’s wages and coverage for funeral and burial expenses.
At Franks, Koenig & Neuwelt, we understand that each workers’ compensation claim is unique. Knowing what benefits are available is the first step towards protecting your rights and securing your future after a workplace injury. Our dedicated team is here to guide you through every step of the process, ensuring that you maximize the compensation you receive.
Florida Workers’ Compensation Claims
Dealing with a workplace injury can be overwhelming, but understanding the workers’ compensation process in Florida can significantly ease this burden. Here is everything you need to know about filing a workers’ compensation claim in Florida, from the initial steps right through to what benefits you might expect.
1. Understanding Florida Workers’ Compensation Laws: Florida’s workers’ compensation laws are designed to provide quick and effective benefits to injured workers. These benefits cover medical care, income replacement, and more, depending on the severity of the injury. It’s important to know that in Florida, workers’ compensation is a no-fault system, meaning employees do not need to prove their employer was at fault to receive benefits.
2. Eligibility for Filing a Claim: To be eligible for workers’ compensation in Florida, you must be an employee of a company that carries workers’ compensation insurance, and your injury or illness must be work-related. Independent contractors and volunteers might not be eligible under most circumstances.
3. Steps to File Your Claim:
- Report the Injury: You must report your injury to your employer within 30 days of the occurrence or within 30 days of discovering it’s work-related.
- Seek Medical Attention: Visit a healthcare provider authorized by your employer or their insurance company.
- Claim Filing: Your employer should report the injury to their insurance company within seven days of notification. The insurance company then files the claim with the Florida Division of Workers’ Compensation.
4. Types of Benefits Available:
- Medical Benefits: Covers all necessary medical treatments and medications.
- Disability Benefits: Compensates for lost wages if you are unable to work temporarily or permanently due to your injury.
- Rehabilitation Benefits: Assists in covering the costs of physical or vocational rehabilitation.
- Death Benefits: Provides financial support to the dependents of a worker who dies due to a job-related injury.
5. What to Do If Your Claim Is Denied: Claims can be denied for various reasons, including disputes over whether the injury is work-related or if the claim was filed late. If your claim is denied, you have the right to appeal the decision, and you may want to seek legal assistance to navigate the appeal process effectively.
SAFE WORKING CONDITIONS: THE BASIC REQUIREMENT
All states have their own requirements when it comes to establishing safe and fair working conditions. Our Fort Lauderdale, FL work injury lawyer shares that at the most basic level, states require all businesses to provide employees with a safe and healthy working environment. There may be additional requirements placed upon businesses in certain industries, like construction or manufacturing. Illnesses that develop over a long period may also qualify for workers’ compensation.
IMMEDIATELY REPORT AFTER A WORKPLACE INJURY
As an experienced Fort Lauderdale, FL work injury lawyer can agree, accidents can happen in any workplace, even when there are safety regulations in place. It’s essential to report an injury to your employer right away if you are injured while at work. Injured workers have the right to seek immediate medical treatment if needed.
MAKING A WORKERS’ COMPENSATION CLAIM
Workers’ compensation laws are different for each state. The work comp statutes, or laws, require businesses to maintain a workers’ compensation insurance policy. If a worker is injured on the job, then the worker has the right to file a claim. The employee also has the legal right to hire a Fort Lauderdale, FL work injury lawyer for representation throughout the process.
STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS TO FILE AN INJURY REPORT
The deadline for filing a workers’ compensation claim may vary from state to state. It’s important to report your injury to your employer as soon as possible to start the filing process. A Fort Lauderdale, FL, work injury lawyer can inform you as to the laws in your state. Because time is of the essence, be sure to get all your questions answered as swiftly as possible, so you do not jeopardize your benefits.
INSURANCE INVESTIGATION OF YOUR CLAIM
After filing the claim, there will be an investigation initiated by the insurance company. You may be interviewed, and your medical records will be examined as well as any other reports or documents that they can locate. You should immediately seek an experienced Fort Lauderdale, FL work injury lawyer before making any statements that may be used against you and your claim in the future.
RETALIATION AND OTHER WORKERS’ COMPENSATION DISPUTES
Paying out benefits to injured workers costs insurance companies money. Unfortunately, and despite laws designed to prevent it, there are cases in which workers are discouraged from filing claims. If this is the case for you, contacting a trusted work injury lawyer in Fort Lauderdale, FL is in your best interest. It’s likely that the company owner may attempt to dispute the severity of your injury or illness or the circumstances under which it occurred or may threaten your job security as a result of you filing a claim.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires regular reporting of injuries and illnesses and closely monitors these situations. OSHA rules include three provisions designed to protect workers:
- Employers must provide clear instructions and reasonable procedures for reporting on-the-job accidents and injuries.
- Employers are prohibited from discouraging employees to report accidents or potentially dangerous situations.
- Employers are prohibited from taking actions that could be seen as retaliatory, such as laying off workers or reducing their pay, when injuries or illnesses are reported, and a claim is filed.
Fort Lauderdale Work Injury Infographic
Fort Lauderdale Work Injury Law FAQs
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET WORKERS’ COMPENSATION BENEFITS?
Not many of us can go without a regular paycheck for even a short period. So what happens if we get hurt while we are at our place of employment? Workers’ compensation insurance was created to help during these times. As a Fort Lauderdale, FL work injury lawyer can explain, your employer is required by law to carry a workers’ compensation policy. If injured at work, your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance company should begin paying you lost wages while you are out and unable to return to your employment.
WHAT BENEFITS AM I ELIGIBLE FOR?
As your Fort Lauderdale work injury lawyercan explain, workers’ compensation is a form of insurance that employers may provide their workers so that in the event of a workplace illness or injury, they receive treatment and have other expenses paid. Such benefits can help pay for medical costs, lost wages, legal fees, and funeral costs. Depending on the state, there will be different requirements for workers’ compensation benefits. If you have questions or concerns about benefits, contact us at The Law Offices of Franks, Koenig & Neuwelt.
WHICH INJURIES ARE MOST COMMON?
There are limitless ways that workers can get injured while doing their job. But some of the most common injuries that are reported in workers’ compensation claims include being caught in machinery, burns, cold exposure, scalding heat, fall or slip injury, scrapes, cuts, punctures, striking against or stepping on a hazard, and being struck by equipment or object. Tragically, some workplace incidents result in a loss of life. In these situations, the victim’s family can come forward and file a claim on behalf of the employee.
HOW DO I KNOW IF I QUALIFY?
Speak with your workers’ compensation attorney and not your employer to find out what your eligibility is for workers’ compensation. Sometimes, employers purposefully discourage their workers from filing a claim so that they can save money. It is wise to consider having a Fort Lauderdale work injury lawyer oversee how your claim is handled so that your health and recovery is protected.
CAN YOU GIVE ME EXAMPLES OF WORKPLACE ACCIDENTS?
An injury accident can happen due to malfunctioning machinery, slippery floors, faulty tools, lack of protective equipment, exposure to chemicals, and so much more. Examples of workplace accidents could be incidents such as being injured while loading boxes for a warehouse job, falling off a ladder for a construction job, a collision while driving a work vehicle from one job site to another, and repetitive motion injuries from working a warehouse assembly line. If you aren’t sure if your injury makes you eligible for benefits, now is the time to have a lawyer help.
WHEN DO I NEED HELP FROM A LAWYER?
Ideally, you would have a lawyer help you from the moment the injury accident happens and on. In this way, they can protect you from the start and can prevent issues from arising. But if you notice that your employer is not taking your injury seriously, has denied your benefits wrongfully, or retaliated against you for filing a claim, then having a lawyer intervene immediately is strongly advised. For assistance after a workplace accident, contact a Fort Lauderdale work injury lawyer from The Law Offices of Franks, Koenig & Neuwelt as soon as you can.
WHAT HAPPENS RIGHT AFTER I AM INJURED?
Seek medical attention immediately, even if you don’t think your injury requires you do so. If your injury allows, report the injury to HR or your workers’ compensation representative. They will still require you to seek medical attention, and in some states, it is mandatory that you use a doctor recommended by the insurance provider.
FORT LAUDERDALE WORK INJURY STATISTICS
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are an estimated 3.8 million workers’ compensation claims filed each year in the U.S.
- The average workers’ compensation claim costs $30,000.
- The most common types of workers’ compensation claims are injuries to the back, neck, and head.
- Workers’ compensation benefits can include medical care, lost wages, and vocational rehabilitation.
If you have been injured on the job, contact one of our workers’ compensation lawyers to find out what benefits you may be entitled to
CONTACT THE WORK INJURY LAWYERS FORT LAUDERDALE TRUSTS
At the Law Offices of Franks, Koenig & Neuwelt, we believe it is vital for injured workers to have the means to recover after an accident. While no sum of money can truly make up for a devastating injury, workers’ compensation payments may be able to provide necessary assistance to an injured employee, as a skilled work injury lawyer in Fort Lauderdale, FL would attest.
Our law firm has served the local community of Fort Lauderdale for more than 100 combined years, and our team is proud to provide counsel in workers’ compensation cases. For more information about our team, or to schedule an in-person case evaluation with a top Fort Lauderdale, FL work injury lawyer, call the Law Offices of Franks, Koenig & Neuwelt today at 561-616-3800.
Client Review
“Got hurt at work and was not getting anywhere. Looked at many firms but decided to go with this one. Best decision I have ever made. Dianne, Krystal and Eli Franks are an amazing team and I was blessed to have them on my side! They went above and beyond to make this situation a happy one.”
Michelle Rivera
THE IMPORTANCE OF LEGAL REPRESENTATION
Navigating Florida’s workers’ compensation laws can be daunting. This is where the knowledge and experience of a work injury lawyer becomes invaluable. We are committed to helping our clients understand their rights, the intricacies of their specific cases, and the best course of action to take.
If you have suffered a workplace injury in Fort Lauderdale, timely and knowledgeable legal advice is crucial. We are dedicated to ensuring that you receive the benefits and compensation you rightfully deserve. Contact The Law Offices of Franks, Koenig & Neuwelt today to set up a consultation and take the first step towards navigating your work injury claim with confidence and clarity.
