What Are Workers’ Compensation Benefits?

Medical coverage

The medical coverage includes all the medical expenses incurred by any injured employee. This includes doctor’s fees, medications, hospital costs, nursing care, diagnostic tests, the cost of necessary medical equipment like wheelchairs or crutches, and physical therapy.
The medical coverage is not limited to any particular dollar amount. The worker can avail of this benefit until he has fully received from the injury. The medical coverage also includes traveling expenses if your treatment requires you to travel to another place.

It is necessary here to understand for what injury you would receive the compensation. For example, if you are injured while doing heavy machinery work at your workplace, your injury qualifies for compensation. However if you are injured on the road on your way to work or while you are driving back home, then it won’t come under the worker’s medical coverage benefits.

Disability benefits

The disability benefits include the number of wages that a worker was entitled to receive if he was not disabled by a workplace injury. Each kind of disability that a worker may face is categorized into four types.

Temporary total

temporary total disability is when a worker becomes disabled for a temporary period. For example, a worker injures his back and is unable to move or work. However, after taking complete bed rest for six weeks he will be cured completely and can return to full duties.
Temporary partial disability

It is when the worker is partially disabled due for a short period. For example, if a worker breaks one arm or a leg and rests for a few weeks, proper medical care can cure him fully. However, he may work part-time until the broken arm heals without the need to be bedridden for weeks.

Permanent partial

This involves permanent physical damage that prevents him from being equally efficient as before. For example, a worker gets permanent hearing loss. This kind of health damage prevents a worker from earning the same wage as he was getting before. But he still can work.

Permanent total disability

This is the most unexpected and fatal health damage. Permanent total disability is when a worker has incurred an incurable permanent injury that makes him disabled for the rest of his life. This means he can no longer do the same work that he was doing before or can earn any future income.

The kind of disability payments that a worker gets varies depending upon the severity of the condition. The payments also vary from state to state. Meaning, two persons residing in different states can receive different payments for the same injury.

Vocational Rehabilitation

Vocational rehabilitation is designed to help workers who have been injured or disabled during work mentally and physically. According to NARIC or the National Rehabilitation information center, vocational rehabilitation may help you find new employment opportunities through job training, career counseling, and programs. So if a worker cannot get back to his previous work due to any permanent injury or disability, he may take advantage of the vocational rehabilitation benefits by including them in the compensation claim.

Death Benefits

If any worker dies due to a work-related injury, his dependents are entitled to receive the death benefits. The dependents may be his spouse, minor children, aged parents, etc. the death benefit includes a certain sum of money to compensate the worker’s family. It also includes funeral and burial costs.

The bottom line

Above discussed are the four types of compensation benefits that any worker enjoys when he encounters health damage in the workplace due to any unfortunate accident. All these compensation benefits are intended to help the worker get back into their previous life after a fatal or minor injury.