You probably know that Work Comp provides wage loss benefits, but you might not have known about other benefits injured workers can receive with Work Comp. Under the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Act, an injured worker is entitled to the following benefits:
- Wage loss benefits, if an employee is unable to work because of an injury that occurred in the course and scope of his or her employment.
- Lifetime medical treatment for injuries sustained as a result of the work accident.
- Vocational rehabilitation, in the event an injured worker is not able to return to his pre-injury occupation due to his work place injury.
- Benefits for dependents, such as a spouse or minor children of a worker who was killed on the job.
Benefit limits
The benefits an injured worker may receive depend on, among other factors, the actual calendar date the injury occurred. For occupational diseases, however, the “date of injury” is the date on which the employee first received a diagnosis of the disease from a licensed physician.
An employee’s weekly benefit rates are dependent upon limits that were in effect on the date of injury. New limits become effective as of July 1 each year. These limits are based on the average weekly wages that all insured employees in the state earned during the previous year.
Except in cases where an employee is permanently and totally disabled (and in some cases that involve coal worker's pneumoconiosis) monetary benefits are also subject to a cumulative limit of either 500 weeks or a monetary amount that is 500 times the maximum rate limit for the year in which the injury occurred (whichever is reached first).
We’re your Work Comp experts
Have you been injured on the job or contracted an illness due to an unhealthy work environment? If so, then the Norfolk workers’ compensation attorneys at Kalfus & Nachman PC can help you file your lclaim. We can represent you in your assist with filing a claim with the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission, and also your third party personal injury case if necessary, in order to recover workers’ compensation benefits you deserve. There are several laws that can effect on the outcome of your case, so it’s extremely important to have a workers' comp lawyer on your side to assist you through the entire process. Get help with your workers’ compensation lawsuit. Contact us today by calling (855) 880-8163.
