Workers’ Compensation Benefits
North Carolina Workers’ Comp Attorney – (800) 351-3008
Injured workers in the Carolinas are usually eligible to receive workers’ compensation benefits to help them recover without accruing a stack of expensive bills. Only a few exclusions apply to the workers’ compensation rule, such as being employed as an independent contractor or working for a small business with only a few employees. If you have been hurt while on-the-job in North Carolina or South Carolina, The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor and our North Carolina workers’ compensation attorneys can help you file a claim, or fight a benefits denial.
Get pointed in the right direction during a free initial consultation with our team.
Basic Workers’ Comp Benefits Information
What benefits should you be owed with a successful workers’ compensation claim after suffering a work injury? There might be some minor variances depending on your career and state of employment, but workers’ compensation benefits are fairly standardized across all situations.
When you collect workers’ compensation benefits, it should include:
- Wages: If your work-related injury makes it impossible for you to return to work for more than 7 days, you should be given wage compensation equal to 66.66% of your usual pay rate each week, up to a maximum of 500 weeks. There are weekly caps in each state that prevent you from collecting more than a certain amount in usual wages. In North Carolina, the cap is currently (circa 2017) set at $978 per week.
- Medical costs: The cost of any approved medical procedure, diagnosis, appointment, or medication should be entirely covered by your workers’ compensation benefits. It is crucial that you always see the doctor after a work injury and always adhere to all instructions. Otherwise, you could be liable for medical costs due to jeopardizing your own health.
- Travel expenditures: You can request financial reimbursement for the cost of traveling for necessary medical treatment so long as you must travel more than 20 miles. If your injury does not prevent you from driving your own car, this reimbursement might just be the cost of gas. It is still worth pursuing if you are owed it.
- Vocational rehabilitation: Some injuries are so severe, you cannot return to your same line of work, no matter how much time goes by. When this happens, your employer may be obligated to supply you with vocational rehabilitation training, either to find you another position of similar pay in the company or elsewhere. For employees that are severely injured, this is arguably the most important benefit of workers’ compensation coverage.
- Final expenses: The families of workers who lose their lives in a work-related accident can seek a unique set of workers’ compensation coverage. It generally will provide either the decedent’s wages, or compensation for necessary living expenses for a set amount of time. It may also include costs for final expenses, such as funeral and burial arrangements. This can be one of the most difficult form of workers’ comp benefits to receive if the insurer denies it.
We Take Care of Your Case so You can Rest
The last thing you want after a work accident is to get caught up in regulations and red tape. Let our North Carolina workers’ compensation attorneys take care of all the legwork for you. We genuinely want you to be able to relax and recuperate like you deserve. Using our extensive experience with personal injury claims and workers’ comp disputes, you can have confidence that we will fight for your rights, every step along the way.
Call (800) 351-3008 today or contact us online to learn more about workers’ comp benefits.
