The length of time you continue to receive workers’ compensation for a work-related injury in Richmond depends on the seriousness of the injury, your ability to go back to work, and your recovery. In general, benefits can range from a few weeks to a lifetime.
Normally, wage-loss benefits can last for up to 500 weeks. But some exceptional cases like spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, and loss of multiple limbs have varying rules that go beyond such time limits. That is why you should approach workers’ compensation with an experienced Richmond workers comp lawyer on your side. Your attorney will ensure you don’t make mistakes that can jeopardize your claim.
Kinds of Workers’ Compensation Benefits in Virginia
Workers’ compensation benefits are meant to support you while you recover from your work-related injury. They cover medical treatment costs and lost wages. Such benefits may not be stopped simultaneously, and you may stop getting one before the other.
You may get lifetime medical benefits designed to make sure you can obtain care for the same work injury, if necessary, in the future. Meanwhile, wage-loss benefits have duration limits in the majority of cases. Learn more about this below:
- Temporary partial disability. The support you will get for this disability is meant to bridge the gap between the wages you earn before the injury and what you can earn while suffering from the injury. This will last until you are allowed to resume full work duties by your treating doctor.
- Temporary total disability. If you cannot perform any job because of your injury, you will get 2/3 of your salary until you are allowed to return to work.
- Permanent partial disability. The impairment rating that your doctor determines is the key factor in your benefits’ duration. Such a rating indicates the extent of the disability and its effect on your capacity to work. If you experience loss of functionality in at least one part of your body, you can be entitled to benefits for a certain number of weeks, depending on the affected body part. For instance, you will get a 60-week benefit for disfigurement, 150 weeks for losing a hand, 175 weeks for a leg loss, and so on.
- Permanent total disability. Losing several parts of the body, being paralyzed, or sustaining a TBI because of a workplace injury entitles you to lifetime medical and financial support. But getting such benefits can be challenging since insurers will usually resist these claims. This makes it important to have a lawyer by your side when seeking these benefits. Your attorney will advocate for your rights and best interests, making sure you get the benefits you need for as long as necessary.
What to Do After a Work-Related Injury
If you have suffered a workplace injury in Richmond, you must complete the required paperwork and follow all procedures to get workers’ comp benefits. First, you must notify your employer about the accident and your injury. Submit a report in writing to ensure proper recording. Then, you must complete a claim form and submit this to the Workers’ Compensation Commission. Your employer will also submit a report to the Commission and their insurer.
After such submissions, company will contact you soon and request a statement about your injury and what happened. Speak with a lawyer first before you give any statement to the insurer. Whatever you may say can be used against you or your claim.
