Last Updat­ed on April 19, 2023 

Understanding Workers’ Compensation for Injured Nursing Home Workers

Nurs­ing home work­ers have a phys­i­cal­ly and emo­tion­al­ly demand­ing job, and some­times they may expe­ri­ence injuries while per­form­ing their job duties. For­tu­nate­ly, work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion ben­e­fits can help injured nurs­ing home work­ers recov­er and get back to work. Here’s every­thing you need to know about work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion and how to file a claim.

What is Workers’ Compensation?

Work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion is a sys­tem that pro­vides ben­e­fits to employ­ees who are injured on the job. This sys­tem is designed to pro­tect work­ers and their fam­i­lies from finan­cial hard­ship due to work-relat­ed injuries or ill­ness­es. Work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion ben­e­fits may include med­ical expens­es, wage replace­ment, and reha­bil­i­ta­tion services.

Who is Eligible for Workers’ Compensation?

In gen­er­al, any employ­ee who is injured on the job is eli­gi­ble for work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion ben­e­fits. This includes nurs­ing home work­ers who are injured while per­form­ing their job duties. It’s impor­tant to note that work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion ben­e­fits are typ­i­cal­ly avail­able regard­less of who was respon­si­ble for the injury.

What Benefits are Available for Injured Nursing Home Workers?

Injured nurs­ing home work­ers may be eli­gi­ble for a range of ben­e­fits through work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion. These ben­e­fits may include:

• Med­ical expens­es: Work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion may cov­er the cost of med­ical treat­ment relat­ed to the injury, includ­ing doc­tor’s vis­its, hos­pi­tal­iza­tions, and medication.
• Wage replace­ment: If an injury pre­vents an employ­ee from work­ing, work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion ben­e­fits may pro­vide a por­tion of the employ­ee’s wages until they can return to work.
• Reha­bil­i­ta­tion ser­vices: Work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion may cov­er the cost of phys­i­cal ther­a­py or oth­er reha­bil­i­ta­tion ser­vices to help an injured work­er recover.

Steps for Filing a Workers’ Compensation Claim

If you’re an injured nurs­ing home work­er, it’s impor­tant to know the steps for fil­ing a work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion claim. Here are the basic steps to follow:

1. Noti­fy your employ­er: Report your injury to your employ­er as soon as pos­si­ble. This may involve fill­ing out an inci­dent report or noti­fy­ing your supervisor.
2. Seek med­ical treat­ment: Get med­ical treat­ment for your injury as soon as pos­si­ble. This may involve going to the emer­gency room or see­ing a doctor.
3. File a claim: File a claim for work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion ben­e­fits with the appro­pri­ate state agency. This may involve fill­ing out a form or pro­vid­ing doc­u­men­ta­tion relat­ed to the injury.
4. Fol­low up: Keep track of your claim and fol­low up with your employ­er and the state agency as needed.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Filing for Workers’ Compensation

When fil­ing for work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion, there are sev­er­al com­mon mis­takes that you should avoid. These include:

• Fail­ing to report the injury to your employ­er: It’s impor­tant to report your injury to your employ­er as soon as pos­si­ble to ensure that you are eli­gi­ble for work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion benefits.
• Miss­ing dead­lines: There are strict dead­lines for fil­ing work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion claims, so it’s impor­tant to file your claim in a time­ly manner.
• Not seek­ing appro­pri­ate med­ical treat­ment: Get­ting med­ical treat­ment as soon as pos­si­ble is cru­cial for your recov­ery and for your work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion claim.
• Going back to work too soon: It’s impor­tant to fol­low your doc­tor’s instruc­tions and not return to work until you’re ful­ly recovered.

If you’re an injured nurs­ing home work­er, don’t hes­i­tate to seek help with your work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion claim. Con­tact a work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion lawyer to learn more about your rights and how to file a claim. Call our offices at 844–682‑0999 to speak with a lawyer today.