What Does Florida's Workers Comp Insurance Cover?
On Behalf of Rosenthal, Levy, Simon & Sosa | March 9, 2023 | Workers' Compensation
Workers’ comp insurance is an employer-sponsored coverage that provides specific benefits for work-related employee injuries or diseases. Most employers in Florida must provide this type of coverage. Workers’ compensation law provides that employees must compensate workers for occupationally incurred injuries or diseases, regardless of fault. It also provides immunity for injury lawsuits to employers.
Florida Workers’ Compensation Insurance Covers Various Benefits
Accidental diseases and injuries arising out of a worker’s course of employment must be covered by workers’ comp. If you get injured due to a work-related illness or accident, your employer’s workers’ comp insurance entitles you to the following benefits:
- Medical Benefits – These can include hospitalization, doctor appointments, diagnostic tests, medications, physical therapy, and treatment-related travel expenses, among others.
- Wage Replacement Benefits – You may receive these benefits if your earnings have been reduced due to your injury. Your wage replacement benefits will be approximately two-thirds of your standard weekly wage before you got injured. You’ll start receiving these benefits on the eighth day you’re unable to work.
- Temporary Partial Disability (TPD) Benefits – You may be entitled to these benefits when your doctor confirms you can go back to work but with certain restrictions.
- Temporary Total Disability (TTD) Benefits – You may receive these benefits if your illness or injury temporarily prevents you from coming back to work.
- Permanent Impairment Benefits – These are available when your illness or injury results in a permanent physical, functional, or psychological loss.
- Permanent Total Benefits – These are available when your injury results in total and permanent disability.
- Death Benefits – These include dependency benefits and payment for funeral costs if a worker dies due to a work-related illness or injury.
Take note, however, that some situations are excluded from workers’ comp coverage. These include nervous or mental injuries arising from excitement, fright, or stress. Similarly, workers’ comp benefits will not be paid out to a worker if they suffered an injury because they were drunk, on drugs, or doing something illegal at work.
Do I Need a Workers’ Comp Lawyer?
It depends on the extent and nature of your injury, your employer’s or their insurer’s response to your claim, and the complexity of your claim. Generally speaking, it’s best to speak to a West Palm Beach workers’ compensation lawyer if one of these applies to your claim:
- Your claim was denied, or your benefits are not being paid on time.
- Your settlement offer isn’t enough to cover your medical expenses and lost wages.
- You’re applying for or receiving Social Security benefits for disability.
- Your condition prevents you from performing your prior occupation, restricts your work opportunities, or prevents you from working at all.
- You got injured due to a third party’s (employer, colleague, etc.) negligence or serious misconduct.
- Your employer is retaliating against you because you filed a workers’ compensation claim.
Get Legal Advice From a Seasoned West Palm Beach Workers’ Compensation Insurance Lawyer Today
If you need help navigating the workers’ comp claims process or are having issues with your claim, contact Rosenthal, Levy, Simon & Sosa right away. Reach us online or call 866-640-7117 to arrange your complimentary case review with our West Palm Beach workers’ compensation insurance lawyer.