Every worker who is covered by the workers compensation insurance can rest easy and have peace of mind when doing their job because any injury they sustain while at work will not turn their life upside down. While they may experience pain and suffering, they will not incur costly medical bills and lose their income source. This is because the workers’ comp insurance will pay all essential medical bills and cover lost wages.
How it Works
If you work for an eligible employer, you will need to be signed up for the workers’ comp insurance. If your employer fails to sign you up for the insurance, they can be penalized and charged in court for the infringement.
When an employee gets injured at the workplace, they are required to report the injury as soon as possible and seek medical attention at an approved medical facility. The Texas workers compensation act stipulates that work-related injuries must be reported within 30 days. The worker will need to provide a written statement of how the injury occurred.
Texas Work Comp Benefits
1. Medical Benefits
According to the Texas workers compensation act, the cost of all essential medical treatments must be paid for by the insurance provider. Any other medical procedure or treatment that is not related to the work injury will not be paid for by the insurer. For instance, if you experience serious head injury, but the doctor discovers a tumor during treatment, the cost of removing the tumor will not be paid for by the insurer. This means that workers who are covered do not need to worry about the cost of medical attention when they are injured at the workplace or when they develop an illness at the workplace.
2. Temporary Income Benefits
After getting injured or developing an illness at the workplace, you will most likely not be able to go back to work for a couple of weeks or months. In case you are able to go back to work, you may not be able to earn the same level of income as you used to. Fortunately, workers comp offers temporary income benefits of 70% of the income difference. In case your income was less than $10/hr before the incident, you will be entitled to 75% of the income difference.
3. Lifetime Income Benefits
In the state of Texas, workers’ comp pays 75% of the pre-injury income as lifetime disability benefits. It is important to note, however, that the lifetime income benefits are usually increased at the rate of 3% annually.
4. Death Benefits
In case an injured worker succumbs to their injuries, workers’ comp will pay up to $10,000 for burial expenses. Workers comp also pays death benefits to the survivors of the deceased at the rate of 75% of pre-injury income. Death benefits are usually paid for a limited amount of time depending on the beneficiary’s relationship with the deceased.
In case of any challenges when processing your workers’ compensation claim, you should hire a workers’ compensation lawyer. The ideal attorney must have specialized in Texas workers’ comp cases.
