Injured at Work? Things to Consider When Seeking Workers Compensation
Accidents have the potential to affect your life permanently. From respiratory exposure to back and head injuries, it is vital that you get the medical attention you need in order to recover from the injuries that you’ve incurred. But how will you manage to afford all these medical bills?
North Kingstown, as well as the rest of Rhode Island, has a mandated Workers Compensation Act to cover medical expenses and 75% of worker’s base pay for weekly compensation. Under this no-fault system, insurance companies will pay for benefits up to thirteen weeks without accepting legal liability for the injury under the Non-Prejudicial Agreement. If the insurance company chooses this, they will stop paying for your medical bills unless you do something about it. With this, hiring a successful and experienced worker’s compensation attorney is crucial.
To contest the Non-Prejudicial Agreement, you will need to file a worker’s compensation claim in order to set up other settlements with the insurance company to continue receiving compensation. For instance, the Memorandum of Agreement is when the insurance company accepts liability for the injury and will continue to pay for medical expenses and compensation.
Are you able to sue an individual or company for negligence while receiving worker’s compensation? Unfortunately, no. The Workers Compensation Act is a no-fault system, essentially stating that you will receive compensation no matter whose fault it is. However, if this no-fault system does not work for your particular situation, a North Kingstown worker’s compensation attorney can help you file a negligence claim. With this, if you’re successful, the insurance company will pay for medical expenses, pain and suffering, and lost wages that occurred as a result of the injury. Conversely, the insurance company will then have a right to receive reimbursement from any workers compensation that has already been paid out to you.
Despite the difficulties involved in getting injured at work, there are a variety of options to ensure that you are able to get your life back.
