MO Workers Compensation Lawyer
Roskin & Hoffmann, LLC
If you are injured at the workplace be familiar with common Workers Compensation terms.
Please find the below list of key terms used in the workers compensation area of law. This is not an exhaustive list, so please do not hesitate to contact one of the experienced work comp attorneys at Roskin & Hoffmann, LLC should you have further questions.
Missouri Workers Compensation – Injured workers in Missouri, St. Louis, St. Charles and other areas throughout the state are entitled to benefits, based upon Missouri law, which include medical treatment for their injuries, paid time off of work, and a work comp settlement at the end of the case to compensate the injured worker for thier injuries.
Injured Worker – Someone while at work, driving for work, or doing work related tasks who gets injured while performing those duties is entitled to Missouri workers compensation benefits.
Benefits – Mo workers compensation law allows three benefits if you are injured at work. Medical treatment, weekly compensation for time missed from work and permanent benefits for any lasting disability that you may have as a result of the injury.
Authorized Physician – Mo work comp law allows your employer to chose which doctor is going to treat you. Since this is the case, there is in most cases only going to be 1 authorized physician who is the doctor selected by your employer. He is to provide all care for you and any treatment outside of his care could leave you liable for those medical bills.
Maximum Medical Improvement – Sometimes, when a person is injured at work, there is only so much that can be done to repair the injury. When the injured worker reaches a point where the doctors feel that medical treatment will not help to cure or relieve the injury anymore, then that person is at maximum medical improvement. The injured worker is then entitled to permanent workers comp benefits for the resulting problems that could not be fixed.
Disability or Impairment Rating – This is the number used by doctors to numerically state how much of an injury was suffered. Some doctors say that the injury was not bad at all and give a rating of 2.5% while other doctors can see the same injury causing more significant damage giving a rating of 15%. The difference to you is the amount of money in your pocket. Missouri workers compensation lawyers know how this works and will likely direct you to a proper doctor.
Independent Medical Examination – This is used by the attorney representing the injured worker for a couple of reasons. Your workers compensation attorney can send you out to see a doctor of his choosing to issue a report as to your need for more medical treatment, whether you are at maximum medical improvement and what your disability rating is. This is a valuable tool to use if the offer on the workmans compensation case is too low or if there are concerns about the treatment that was received
Future Medical – some injuries require treatment for a long time and possibly the rest of that injured workers life. A skilled workers compensation lawyer can settle the case to put money in your pocket, but leave the possibility open that you can return for treatment. This is important because normally, once a case is settled, the employer is no longer required to provide treatment.
Hearings – these are the trials in the Mo workers compensation system. They are a little bit less formal that what takes place in a civil court room, but are nevertheless something that a skilled workers comp attorney must have experience with. See our workers compensation case results of cases that went to a hearing for some of our results.
Lien – this is a right to a payment when a settlement is dispersed in a MO work comp case. In most cases, if an injured worker seeks treatment on his own, that doctor of hospital will put a lien on the workers compensation case and expects to be paid back. Since the injured worker in most cases has to get treatment from the authorized provider, any treatment outside of this has to be paid back by the injured worker. This is why it is important to ask your employer for medical care prior to seeking treatment.
Partial Disability – this refers to the person being injured but is still able to return to work in the open labor market. A person still has a partial disability even if he cannot return to his original place of employment. He only must be able to return to any form of employment.
Permanent Disability – here the injured worker cannot return to any work at all. This can be as a result of the injury suffered at work or a combination of the injuries suffered earlier in life in combination with the most recent injury at work. A skilled work comp attorney can help show that combination.
Contact an Experienced Workers Compensation Lawyer
The St. Louis Workers Compensation Lawyers at Roskin & Hoffmann, LLC have extensive Work Comp experience and we have handled some of the most complex Workers Comp cases throughout Missouri. If you have been injured at work, call our knowledgeable attorneys at (314) 821-9013 or send us a Workers Compensation question. We look forward to helping you. All communications are returned promptly.
Workers Compensation Lawyers at Roskin & Hoffmann, LLC based in St. Louis, Missouri have extensive work comp experience. Learn key workers comp terms.
