Workers compensation is a legal right for all employees that suffer any type of injury at work. However, that doesn’t mean there won’t still be pushback if/when you go to claim it. Companies try all the time to convince employees that they don’t offer workers compensation, or that the victim is ineligible, just to save money. Or worst of all, will convince the employee to lie in exchange for a much lesser, under-the-table settlement. That’s why, as an employee in Michigan, it is your responsibility to know exactly what your employer is responsible for, and get in touch with trained workers compensation attorneys, like ours at Aiello Law Group, if you’ve suffered an injury at work.
Wage Loss Benefits
One of the most important benefits you’re going to want to make sure you claim first if your injury is going to keep you out of work for a while are your wage loss benefits. These benefits allow you to continue receiving a percentage of your income, 80% in fact, while you’re not at work. The actual figure is determined by averaging your 39 highest earning weeks out of the last 52 paid, including all overtime, bonuses, holiday pay, income from second jobs, etc. Be advised though, many companies will try to get out of paying you wage loss benefits by offering you “reasonable employment” instead, which is often nothing more than a fake title and menial tasks meant to help them avoid the payout.
Medical Benefits
Any time an employee is injured on the job, they are entitled to have all necessary medical bills and health-related expenses covered, without any copay. If your employer is telling you otherwise, it’s time to speak to a workers’ compensation lawyer. Anyone else who has your best interest in mind will tell you that it is the law for a company to cover medical care after an injury at work. Victims even have the right to choose their own doctors and specialists after 28 days from their treatment start date, which is super important. A lot of the time, insurance companies will force employees to see bias doctors to try and reduce their liability and manipulate the system so they can cease benefits – but you have to stick up for you!
Vocational Rehabilitation Benefits
Finally, if you’ve suffered an injury at work that has left you unable to ever return, you are fully entitled to up to two years worth of vocational rehabilitation benefits to help you learn new skills and trades to get you back out into the workforce without compromising your physical health. Just be weary of anyone your insurance company sends you way. Like the bias doctors, bias counselors will use misleading assessments to undercut your claims and reduce the amount you’re owed.
There is one way to make sure you’re awarded maximum wage loss benefits, superior medical care without the conflict, and exceedingly beneficial vocational support: trust our trained workers compensation attorneys at Aiello Law Group! Call us, today, at 313.964.4900 or fill out the form in the sidebar or on our contact page, and learn more about how we can help you.
