I’ve been injured at work and I’ve seen a doctor. What do I do next? What kind of workers’ compensation benefits can I expect?

If you are hospitalized, contact your employer or have someone do it for you and give him the details of your situation.

Speak with your employer as soon as possible after you’ve seen a doctor or are released from the hospital. Let your employer know you want to get back to work as soon as possible and tell him what your doctor says about you getting back on the job and what kind of work you can safely perform.

To present your case for recovery of lost wages consider consulting with attorneys who are familiar with Florida workers’ compensation law.

If There’s a Job Available That You Can Safely Perform, Take It

If there’s a job you can perform, ask when you may start. If there is no position available, stay in regular contact with your employer so you can be notified and return to work when a position opens.

Notify the workers’ comp insurance company of the doctor’s findings and your work situation. Stay in close contact with your employer and the insurance company throughout your treatment and recovery.

Your Attorney Can Assist In Calculating Compensation Rate

The amount of your workers’ compensation benefits will depend on your specific situation. Here is where an experienced workers’ comp attorney can help you receive the full amount due. Lawyers at Johnson & Gilbert, P.A., serving the greater Daytona Beach metropolitan area, have been assisting clients in this manner for more than 15 years.

If you’re out of work more than seven days you should be compensated for a portion of what you would have earned had you been able to work. Your weekly benefit cannot exceed your maximum compensation rate for the year in which you were injured.

Other Florida workers’ compensation details include:

• You are eligible to receive two-thirds of your regular salary at the time you were injured if the doctor determines you are temporarily totally disabled and cannot work.
• You will be eligible for workers’ comp payments beginning with the eighth day you are unable to work.
• You can be compensated for your first seven days of lost work only if you are off the job more than 21 days.
• You may receive as many as 104 weeks of temporary total disability and/or temporary partial disability.
• If you’re able to return to work but cannot earn what you did before you were injured, you may be classified as having a temporary partial disability and may receive 80 percent of the difference of your original wage and what you earn in the new job.
• Should your injury be critical, you may receive 80 percent of your original salary for up to six months.
• When the doctor determines you have reached maximum medical improvement, he or she will evaluate you for possible permanent work restrictions or permanent impairment status. You will be compensated based on that rating.
   

Making sure you are fairly evaluated medically is one of the ways Johnson & Gilbert’s workers’ compensation attorneys in Ormond Beach help Florida clients receive all that is due them.  If you’ve been injured on the job, call us at 386.673.4412 or toll-free at 800.556.8890 to schedule a free consultation.