Workers’ Compensation for a Hand Injury at Work
By Pyle Law, October 02 2023 2:38 pmIf you injured your hand due to an accident in the workplace, you may be eligible for workers’ comp benefits. Workers’ compensation generally covers the cost of medical bills and about 2⁄3 of a person’s weekly income if they cannot work.
Certain catastrophic hand injuries, such as an amputation, can lead to permanent disability benefits. The right workers’ compensation lawyer can help ensure that you obtain the necessary benefits for the proper amount of time. An employer does not have the right to force you back to work until you are physically ready to return.
If you experience a hand injury on the job, you should not hesitate to seek the guidance of a reputable workers’ compensation lawyer. Workers’ compensation can assist with several different programs, including medical treatment, replacement of wage benefits, vocational rehabilitation, and a number of additional benefits.
The following factors can play a role in helping to determine an individual’s settlement for a workers’ compensation claim.
Occupations in agriculture or construction require the use of the hands in risky situations more than an office job. However, an office or customer service job may require the repeated use of one’s hands to complete tasks, leading to repetitive strain injuries.
The amount a person earned before being injured will help to determine the workers’ compensation benefits they might claim. Wage benefits are directly related to your prior wages.
Your job or a workplace accident must be the cause of your hand injury to qualify for workers’ comp coverage. Providing evidence that your work was the root cause of your injury is a necessary part of the claim process.
Your physician can help to make or break your claim. If your doctor can provide adequate documentation that supports how the workplace environment led to your injury, then your attorney can use this information to secure proper benefits.
This documentation can also show additional information such as work restrictions, the need for physical therapy, an impairment rating, and a projection of medical expenses in the future.
In some hand injury cases, a person’s ability to perform certain tasks can be diminished or eliminated. When someone can never again do certain aspects of the job, this is called a permanent restriction.
If an injury has resulted in the long-term loss of ability to complete certain tasks with your hands, you may be eligible for a higher settlement payout due to the way the injury negatively impacted your future work. The higher the injury impairment rating that a person receives, the higher the settlement can be.
A hand injury at work can be difficult to experience and overcome. Not only must you deal with the physical damage due to injury, but you might need extensive and costly medical treatment, may lose days, months, or more time from work, and deal with additional related losses. You do not have to face the aftermath of a work-related hand injury alone.
An experienced workers’ compensation lawyer can help you to ease the stress as you recover and secure the settlement you deserve from hand injury at work. Contact a Pyle Law attorney today to set up an appointment.
