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Posted on July 4, 2009 by Law Firm | Posted under Legal
Why You Need a Lawyer for Worker's Compensation Cases in Missouri
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In general, Missouri's Worker's Compensation system provides three major benefits. Medical treatment is the first benefit. Injuries that employees receive on the job are fully covered for medical care. The actual doctor who will provide the treatment is picked by the employer or Worker's Compensation insurance carrier. Sometimes, injured workers decide to go to their own doctor and submit payment to their private health insurance carrier. The problem that often results, however, is that virtually every policy of health insurance has an exclusion in which they will not pay for work related injuries. The injured worker does not find out about this until they have already racked up expensive medical bills. Therefore, if you are injured on the job, your should make your employer immediately aware of the injury and request that he send you to a doctor. The second benefit that injured workers are entitled to is payment for time off work. Temporary Total Disability is the name for this type of compensation. In practice, the insurance company will not make payments for time off work unless their doctor writes that the employee is completely unable to work for a temporary time. Yet, Missouri's Workers' Compensation law states that the injured employee is not eligible for this payment until they miss more than three days of work. The third main benefit under the system is a lump sum settlement called Permanent Partial Disability. This is a settlement for any remaining symptoms once the workers is released by the doctor. Most employees who receive more than a few treatment sessions with a doctor should be eligible for payment in some amount. One question that goes through most workers' minds is if they should get a lawyer or do it themselves. A report recently released by Missouri Lawyers Weekly indicated that non-represented injured workers usually receive half of what workers with legal representation receive. This disparity has increased even more over the past years due to a major change in the law in 2005. Previously, a Worker's Compensation judge had to approve the settlement in a case involving workers without legal representation. In those instances, the judge was allowed to advise the worker. Since the law change in 2005, judges are not allowed to offer any guidance to workers. The lesson is clear. If have been injured at work, get a lawyer to represent you, no matter what. About The Author: Josh Myers Law is a Missouri law firm that specializes in personal injury and workers compensation. If you are injured in an accident, don't let yourself be at the mercy of the insurance companies! Talk to a St. Louis personal injury lawyer that has the specialized training to handle cases involving serious injury. Visit www.joshmyerslaw.com to arrange a free consultation. |
Tags: ST. LOUIS PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER, ST. LOUIS INJURY LAWYER, ST. LOUIS INJURY ATTORNEY, ST. LOUIS PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEY, INJURY LAWYER, INJURY ATTORN
