Florida workers who are injured while on the job are entitled to receive certain medical and pay benefits. There are legal and government professionals who can help injured workers get the benefits they are entitled to by law.
Am I Covered Under Workers' Compensation?
Chances are, yes. That's because any Florida business with more than four workers is required to carry workers' compensation insurance coverage. Florida construction companies are an exception because they must have workers' comp insurance even if they have just one employee.
Under Florida law, any injury or accident that happens at any workplace should be reported to the employer as soon as possible and must be reported within 30 days of the incident. The 30-day rule may be extended from the time of the incident itself to 30 days from the time a doctor or physician says that the injury was in fact a workplace injury. Failing to report an incident during one of these windows of time could lead to denial of a claim
In Florida, an employee may contact the Employee Assistance and Ombudsman Office if workers' compensation insurance information is not posted at the workplace or is not available from the employer.
Benefits of Workers' Compensation Insurance
An employee who is injured on the job is entitled to a number of benefits through workers' compensation insurance. These benefits include medical treatment through an insurance carrier that provides:
- Primary care doctor visits and specialists when necessary
- Care that is authorized by medical staff and treatment that's medically necessary
- Physical therapy
- Prescription medication and medical testing
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Mileage and other travel expenses to and from doctor, hospital and pharmacy visits
Types of Disability Benefits
There are two main types of disability benefits - Temporary Total disability and Temporary Partial disability. An injured worker may be entitled to these benefits during the recovery process to make up for the lost wages.
To determine TT disability, a doctor must show that the injury was work-related and has left the employee unable to work. TT benefits include:
- Two-thirds of wages
- Regular wages at the time of the injury (subject to a maximum amount)
- Up to 80 percent of regular wages for up to 6 months following the accident in severe cases
- Total of 104 weeks of benefits
In the case of TP disability, injured workers also receive medical treatment and wages during recovery, but the doctor determines that they can return to work with certain restrictions, usually related to the type and manner of work that can be performed.
If you've been injured in a workplace accident in Florida, you should immediately speak to a workers' compensation attorney who can help to protect your rights to compensation.
