Workers Compensation Lawyer
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Questions About Workers’ Compensation
What is Workers’ Compensation?
Worker’s Compensation is a state-regulated insurance program that provides people who have sustained injuries at work with compensation for medical bills and lost wages. In Tennessee, Workers’ Compensation claims must be made within 30 days of the injury to be eligible for benefits.
How do I know if I’m entitled to benefits?
If you have sustained an injury on the job, you are entitled to benefits. Injuries range in severity, but in the state of Tennessee, any injury that prevents you from fully performing your work duties makes you eligible for Workers’ Compensation.
Your employer will have several steps to follow once you have reported your injury, including supplying you with a list of three qualified doctors who can asses the extent of your injury. From there, the Workers’ Compensation division of the State Department of Labor will begin to determine what benefits you are entitled to.
What benefits might I be entitled to?
In Tennessee, workers injured on the job are entitled to:
- Disability benefits including partially lost wages
- Permanent disability benefits including long-term lost wages
- Medical benefits
- Death benefits
Your compensation will include covering the costs of all associated treatments, medicines, and physical therapy that may be required by your doctor, and should continue until your doctor deems you have reached maximum medical improvement. In addition, if you must travel more than 15 miles to receive treatment, you will also be reimbursed for mileage.
What is Maximum Medical Improvement?
Maximum medical improvement is when your doctor concludes that you have recovered as much as possible from your injury. In the case of complete recovery, your Workers’ Compensation benefits will cease, and you can return to work. If you doctor determines that your disability is permanent, or will have long-term, untreatable consequences, you will be entitle to permanent disability benefits.
Why do I need a lawyer?
When you are injured on the job, the insurance companies, your employer, and even state agencies may not be willing to pay you the full amount you are due. Only by working with an experienced Tennessee Workers’ Compensation attorney can you be sure that you are being treated fairly, and receiving all that you are due. The losses associated with on the job injuries can have a serious impact on every aspect of your life. Workers’ Compensation law is complex, and only a lawyer can make sure you are adequately compensated for your losses.
If you have been injured on the job in or around Chattanooga, Tennessee, please contact Herbert Thornbury, Tennessee’s experienced Workers’ Compensation attorney, to have a strong advocate on your side, and help get you the complete compensation you deserve.
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