Clearly one of the biggest misconceptions about Workers’ Comp is that you have to be out of work to collect. That’s because most people have a limited understanding of what benefits are available. In New York, there are many situations where injured workers can collect workers comp money benefits even if they are working:
Examples:

1. Permanent injuries to joints of the body, vision, and hearing, qualify for “schedule loss of use” awards regardless of whether a person is working or not. These awards are extremely common.

Lynn, a right handed office worker, tears her left rotator cuff (shoulder) at work. She normally makes $900 per week salary and she manages to keep going into work and doing her job even with the injury. One year later all of the doctors agree Lynn, who is still performing her job, has suffered a permanent, 20% loss of use of her left arm. An entire arm is worth 312 weeks of money benefits under New York law. This award would then be calculated as follows:
20% of arm= 20% of 312=62.4 weeks at the weekly rate of $600, which is 2/3 of Lynn’s salary. 62.4 x 600= 37,440.
Total monetary award that Lynn collects: $37,440.
All Workers’ Comp benefits are tax-free, BTW.

2. John is a union welder. A torch he is holding when he takes off his mask backfires, burning his face and neck. These leave permanent scars. John only loses one week from work after the accident.
Maximum award John can collect for his facial scars: $20,000.

3. Gina is a nurse. She injures her back at work. She requires physical therapy, pain management, medications, and surgery. After her back surgery, she goes back to work at reduced earnings since she can no longer work full time.
Her employer’s insurance company offers her a lump sum settlement to pay for future loss of earnings and her future medical costs for her back injury, even though she is working part time. The insurance company offers Gina $150,000 to settle the case.

So there are many instances where injured workers can be compensated even if they are working. Therefore, it is important to remember that workers injured on the job should always file a claim not only with their employer but with the Workers’ Compensation Board each and every time they are seriously injured at work whether they are working or not.

Injured workers too often “leave money on the table” that is rightfully theirs; they just don’t know the law.

That’s where The Law Office of [firm] can help.