Every employee in the US is covered by workers’ comp. This is a system that compensated any employee who is injured while working. Despite it being such a widespread system, many people do not really understand how it works. After all, most people do not think they will ever be injured while working. If you have a job where getting injured is a possibility, even if it is very unlikely, you should know how workers’ comp functions. A common question is whether or not workers’ comp pays for missed work. This guide will provide a simple answer to this question.
Missed Work
The goal of workers’ comp is to return an injured employee to the financial situation he or she was in prior to the injury. This means that it does compensate workers for missed work. Essentially, if your paycheck is smaller than it normally is because you missed any amount of work, workers’ comp will compensate you for the exact amount of money you lost as a result. Whether you missed an entire pay period, or you only missed one day, workers’ comp will ensure that you do not lose even a single cent because of your injury.
Types of Compensation
Remember, this is only one of the types of compensation that you can receive through the workers’ comp system. Other common types of compensation include:
- Medical bills
- Purchase of medicine
- Purchase of medical equipment
- Loss of future earning ability
Essentially, if you suffered financially in any way, you will be made whole again by workers’ comp. There is one area that workers’ comp provides no compensation, however. Workers’ comp does not provide compensation for non-financial losses.
Non-Financial Losses
In a personal injury lawsuit, there is a type of compensation called general compensatory damages. These damages account for all non-financial suffering, such as pain and suffering, emotional distress, and disfigurement. Workers’ comp does not provide this kind of compensation.
Because personal injury lawsuits do provide general compensatory damages, you may be wondering if you can choose not to file a workers’ comp claim and instead file a lawsuit against your employer. This is not an option. If your injury qualifies for workers’ comp, then no alternatives to a workers’ comp claim is acceptable. This also means that you are not allowed to receive compensation through your insurance policy.
If you have any legal questions about how workers’ comp functions, you should speak with an attorney, like a worker’s compensation lawyer in Richlands, Virginia, who specializes in workers’ comp cases.
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