If you are employed, then you are probably already aware that if you are injured on the job or fall ill to a work-related sickness then you are likely covered by New York’s system for workers’ compensation benefits. But what exactly do those benefits cover?
Part of having workers compensation benefits available is knowing whether you qualify and how to apply for them; another key consideration is understanding which benefits you are entitled to. If you have questions about what benefits you can make a claim for, or need assistance in making the claim itself, then a law firm that practices in the area of workers compensation benefits law can assist you.
There are actually three different main categories of benefits: medical, wage replacement and survivor benefits. We will briefly consider each of these in turn in the following paragraphs.
Medical benefits: These benefits are meant to compensate for health care expenses connected with treatment of the injury or illness. Hospital, physician and nursing services, laboratory tests and x-rays, prescription drugs, and physical therapy are among the medical costs that can be covered by medical benefits, as are some alternative treatments such as chiropractic treatment.
Wage replacement benefits: These benefits provide a gap-filler source of income to replace part of your income while you are unable to work and take effect one week after your claim-based injury, unless the period of time that you cannot work is more than two weeks. The baseline amount is two-thirds of your average weekly wages, although this sum can be subject to some modifications depending on how your weekly wage is calculated.
Survivor benefits: If your work-related accident or illness proves fatal, then your surviving dependents (who are defined under the law) can receive workers compensation survivor benefits, including reimbursement for funeral expenses up to a certain amount.
