New York City | Queens | Brooklyn | Bronx Workers’ Compensation Lawyers What Does Your Lawyer Need to Prepare for Your Workers’ Compensation Hearing? If
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Your employer has a vested interest in not paying a workers’ compensation claim or in minimizing the amount paid to you, as any legitimate claims paid will typically increase their workers’ compensation insurance premiums. In addition, when you are off work because of an injury, your employer may feel the need to replace you to meet production goals. Can your employer terminate you because you’ve filed a workers’ compensation claim, whether in retaliation for filing the claim or to fill your position?
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You were hurt on the job and out of work for a while. You’ve been able to find a job that your injuries allow you to perform, but it pays less than your prior position paid. Can you take the job at a lower wage and still get benefits under a workers’ compensation claim? The answer is yes.
Third Party Claims for Work-Related Injuries
You’ve been hurt on the job. Maybe you were in a car accident while performing the duties of your employment. Maybe you slipped and fell, or were hurt when a machine or tool malfunctioned. Your first course of action will likely be to file a workers’ compensation claim. Under New York law, when you’ve been hurt on the job, you have a right to seek benefits through such a claim.
But is that your only recourse to recover compensation? Not necessarily.
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Under New York’s workers’ compensation laws, if you have been hurt on the job, you are potentially entitled to compensation for:
All medical costs associated with the injury
A percentage of your lost wages or income
A cash payment for certain types of permanent injuries
To determine the amount of the cash payments to you for lost wages, the law starts with a determination of your average weekly wage (AWW) for the 52-week period immediately preceding your injury. If your injury prevents you from working at all, you may then receive up to 2/3rds of your average weekly wage. There is, however, a cap on the amount that you can receive per week—the current cap, established in 2015, is $844.29 per week. It’s important to understand that, if you are out of work because of a work-related injury, you must remain under the care of your doctor to qualify for cash benefits for lost wages. Depending on the severity of your injury, you may be entitled to benefits for up to 10 years, or even for life, if you are permanently and totally disabled.
An Overview on Workers’ Compensation Queens, NY
In Part One, we talked about the origins of the workers’ compensation laws, as well as the basic framework–workers’ compensation essentially works as insurance that provides medical, wage and potential cash benefits to injured workers. In this blog, we’ll talk about fault and what you should do immediately following a workplace injury.
The New York Workers’ Compensation System is a No-Fault Law
Under the New York workers’ compensation program, it doesn’t matter who caused the accident—all that is required is that you were injured while working. Accordingly, even if it was your negligence or carelessness that caused the accident, you are still entitled to compensation. If your injuries are intentionally self-inflicted, you were intoxicated at the time the injury or you were performing tasks unrelated to your job at the time of the injury, you may not be eligible for benefits.
You were hurt on the job and out of work for a while. You’ve been able to find a job that your injuries allow you to perform, but it pays less than your prior position paid. Can you take the job at a lower wage and still get benefits under a workers’ compensation claim? The answer is yes.
Under the New York workers’ compensation laws, you can make a claim for what is known as a “reduction in earnings,” also known as a “reduced earnings award.” The law allows you to recover up to 2/3rds of your average weekly wage, up to the statutory maximum. So, for example, if you were making $600 a week before your injury, you are entitled to $400 per week. If your new job only pays you $300 per week, you can file a claim for an additional $100 per week.
The Day of Your Workers’ Compensation Hearing—Some Advice
If your initial application for workers’ compensation benefits has been rejected, you will need to attend a hearing to pursue your claim any further. Here are some tips for making the best impression at that hearing.
Should You Hire an Attorney to Handle Your Workers’ Compensation Claim?
You’ve been hurt at work and it’s a pretty clear-cut case. You can complete and file the application for benefits, right? You don’t need a lawyer to help you, do you? At least that’s what the workers’ compensation insurance providers will tell you.
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What If You Have Been Found to Be Permanently Partially Disabled?
In the aftermath of a work-related injury, when you file a workers’ compensation claim, certain determinations will be made regarding the nature of your disability. Is it temporary or permanent? Is it total or partial? The benefits you received will differ based on these findings.
With a finding that you are permanently partially disabled, the workers’ compensation judge has concluded that your injury does not necessarily keep you from working at all, but that your medical condition is not expected to get any better, at least with respect to the injury you suffered. Because your disability is considered to be permanent, there’s a requirement under New York law that you continue to receive some level of workers’ compensation benefits.
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