January 21, 2022
By Richard Williams
Photo by: Awesome Content, Copyrighted free use, via Wikimedia Commons
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Doctor_assisting_foot_injured_boy_to_walk_with_crutches.jpg
For those of you who are a little in the dark about what workers compensation is, it is a state mandated insurance program that is put in place to make sure that employees are provided with the necessary benefits should they suffer an injury while working or an illness. Every individual state has its own laws and you as an employer need to make sure that you follow them to the letter. It is important to remember that benefits are available to employees no matter whose fault that it was but there are some exceptions so you need to make sure that you look into those as well. You need to offer your workers the opportunity to make a worker’s compensation claim and you need to remain neutral as an employer at all times.
This is why the Virginia workers’ compensation insurance is essential so that workers can receive medical treatment and all of the other benefits that are offered as well. There should never be any retaliation for a worker who wants to make a claim and so they cannot be fired because they wish to go through the process for which they quite rightly qualify. If as an employer you have many questions or you are an employee who isn’t quite sure about what your rights are depending on the state that you live in, then maybe the following free fully ask questions can help to address your concerns.
Do I have to be injured at my workplace? – The answer to this is no, as long as any injury that occurred haven’t when you were working. This includes travelling on a work related issue or you are even attending some training that was required as part of your job. The thing to keep in mind is that if you were doing anything because of your work, then it is covered. If you are in your own real estate then you are not covered.
Are all injuries related to work covered? – In this situation, most work-related injuries are covered but not all of them. If for example you were drunk when you came to work or you are taking any illegal drugs while doing your job then you definitely would not be covered for that. You’re also not covered for injuries that you inflicted upon yourself or that you are breaching health and safety rules set out by your employer.
It doesn’t cover long-term issues & illnesses – A lot of employees receive the necessary compensation for any injuries that they may have gotten as a result of doing their work over a long period of time. It may be that they suffer from back or neck problems and other benefits may also be available to you if you go on to develop another illness as a result of the accident at work.
This is not a comprehensive list of the many questions that people have and there are many more. If you have questions in relation to worker’s comp, then you should talk to your employer to get the answers that you need.
