The majority of employees injured while on the job are entitled to worker compensation benefits under state law. For the purposes of this article, Independence Missouri Work Comp lawyer, Doug Horn, offers recommendations that are based on his experience in handling hundreds of Missouri worker compensation cases. Keep in mind, no matter where you suffered a work-related injury, if you were hired in Missouri, the Missouri worker compensation laws will be relevant to your claim for benefits.
It is important to know that most employees who are injured at work are entitled to 3 basic work comp benefits, including their medical care, reimbursement for their wage loss (after 3 days of missed work due to the injury), and compensation for the longer-term effects of the injury called “Permanent Partial Disability”.
In most claims, injured workers can receive medical care and reimbursement for lost income (called Temporary Total Disability) without much problem. The issue causing the dispute in most claims involves the award the injured worker will receive for Permanent Partial Disability (PPD). As a result, legal consultation with a lawyer who concentrates in Missouri worker compensation law is important. It is important because the difference between a low PPD settlement and a fair/full PPD settlement usually involves thousands of dollars.
Here is how it works. The employer’s worker compensation carrier will have the injured worker’s work comp doctor “rate the permanency” of the injury. The “rate of permanency” directly effects the PPD compensation owed to the injured worker. In the large majority of cases, the work comp doctor will have a tendency to rate the employee’s injury favorable to the interests of the insurance carrier. This can cost an injured worker thousands in fair/full PPD compensation.
This is where legal representation can be vital. An attorney who represents an injured worker can arrange for his or her client to be independently rated for PPD compensation.
This independent rating is used, as evidence, to arrive at a fair, full, and negotiated settlement.
If you were injured at work, and live and/or work near Kansas City, Missouri, you would be wise to consult with an Independence MO work comp lawyer at the earliest possible time after the injury. Although the PPD compensation is important, an attorney also take care of immediate issues like medical care and reimbursement of wages issues. Call Attorney Doug Horn at Horn Law 816-795-7500. His office is close and convenient to many to live in Jackson County, Missouri.
