We depend on healthcare workers to provide preventative care, administer treatments for chronic conditions and acute traumas alike, and rehabilitate us to regain function or quality of life. Workplace hazards, like exposure to toxins, proximity to illness, slippery floors, and workplace violence, can prevent them from carrying out these critical tasks when they become patients themselves. If you were injured on the job as a healthcare worker, you deserve to receive appropriate compensation for your medical bills and lost wages in a workers’ compensation claim.
At Dolman Law Group, we can help you appeal a workers’ compensation claim that was denied, file a claim for the benefits you are entitled to, explain the difference between a personal injury claim and workers’ compensation, and give you a detailed outline of the process so you know what to expect.
Schedule a free consultation with one of our expert workers’ compensation lawyers by calling us at (727) 451-6900 or completing our online contact form. We are grateful to healthcare workers for their contributions and value the opportunity to offer legal support.
Workers’ Compensation Offers Healthcare Workers Financial Support
Most industries provide employees with workers’ compensation coverage in the event that they are injured or become ill on the job. As a result, employers are generally protected from being sued by employees, as a workers’ compensation claim functions as an alternative to a personal injury lawsuit. Workers’ compensation is supposed to benefit both employees and employers by streamlining the compensation process. This is accomplished by limiting the opportunities for dispute between the two parties.
To begin with, a healthcare worker is not required to prove that another party was at fault for their injury or illness in order to claim compensation. Instead, they are simply responsible for demonstrating that the illness or injury was acquired at the workplace, usually during the course of fulfilling their job duties. In exchange, workers’ compensation benefits will cover a percentage of the employee’s medical bills, lost wages, and potentially the costs of job retraining or disability benefits in cases of more serious injuries.
The provision for lost wages is particularly important for healthcare workers, as they may be obligated to miss work to avoid exposing susceptible patients to illness even if they are well enough to work. The types of economic losses covered by workers’ compensation are usually easy to quantify and verify, unlike non-economic damages like pain and suffering. Workers’ compensation does not cover intangible costs, reducing another opportunity for disagreement to keep the process efficient. Various types of healthcare workers may be able to file a workers’ compensation claim, including:
- Primary care doctors
- Nurses
- Specialists
- Physical therapists
- Surgeons
- EMTs
- Physicians Assistants
- Home healthcare workers
- Psychiatrists
- Certified Nursing Assistants
Understanding How Healthcare Workers Are Vulnerable to Workplace Injuries
Although most people think of construction jobs and careers involving heavy machinery or unstable chemicals as the primary source of workplace injuries, people who work in the healthcare industry are actually at a considerable risk of being injured on the job. Many healthcare workers are tasked with physically strenuous assignments on a regular basis, such as moving equipment or lifting patients, which can lead to muscle strain and chronic pain. Healthcare workers can also experience acute injuries, too often from being assaulted by aggressive patients or those experiencing a mental health crisis.
Healthcare settings like hospitals and doctor's offices can be emotionally charged environments, as patients and their families receive life-altering diagnoses, patients undergo invasive and painful treatments, and lives are lost. Unfortunately, this can be conducive to violence, which may be intentionally directed at healthcare workers or result in them being injured as collateral damage from an outburst.
In some cases, unstable patients may harm healthcare workers as a result of using controlled substances, a mental health condition, or a reaction to medication. Workplace violence is a growing issue among healthcare workers, who accounted for 73% of non-fatal workplace injuries and illnesses caused by violence in recent years.
Illness is also a significant concern for healthcare workers. Despite safety protocols and protective equipment, healthcare providers’ chances of contracting an illness are substantially increased because they regularly come into close contact with people who are sick. By the nature of their work, healthcare workers often operate in close proximity to bodily fluids and contaminated air particles or droplets, which are some of the main ways diseases are transmitted. Prolonged or repeated exposure to sick patients can also contribute to the likelihood that a healthcare worker will develop an illness.
Types of Injuries Healthcare Providers Encounter in the Workplace
In order to file a workers’ compensation claim, the injury or illness the claim is based on must generally be serious enough to interfere with the employee’s job performance. Depending on the provider’s job duties, this can include a number of health conditions.
Healthcare workers operate in a number of settings, including schools, nursing homes, hospitals, urgent care clinics, and private practices. An individual healthcare employee’s risk of a specific injury or illness may vary by the environment and capacity they work in, but common injuries and illnesses cited in healthcare workers’ compensation claims include:
- Respiratory illnesses
- Blood-borne illnesses like HIIV from needle sticks
- Other types of infection
- Slip-and-fall injuries
- Injuries consistent with assault such as broken bones
- Repetitive stress injuries
Just as protective equipment like gloves can help lower a provider’s risk of developing an illness or protocols for dealing with combative patients can reduce the risk of injury, other factors can contribute to a healthcare worker’s likelihood of being harmed in the workplace. For example, if a facility is understaffed, has inadequate security, has not implemented de-escalation training, or does not provide proper protective gear, a healthcare worker is more vulnerable to injury. Cases of extreme negligence may warrant a personal injury lawsuit.
Why You Should Trust Dolman Law Group to Handle Your Workers’ Compensation Claim
The workers’ compensation claims process was designed with efficiency in mind, but our team at Dolman Law Group is also concerned with ensuring that you receive the maximum compensation possible for your medical bills and lost wages while you recover. We have an established track record of negotiating fair outcomes for our injured clients, and we are dedicated to doing the same for you.
Our team can offer you individualized attention from an attorney who specializes in workers’ compensation law, access to resources, and reliable strategic insight. Clients regularly commend our team for our communicativeness and diligence. It has been our privilege to advocate for healthcare workers who were injured on the job, and we will proudly support you in filing a workers’ compensation claim to secure the financial support you are entitled to receive.
Contact Dolman Law Group For Help With Your Workers’ Compensation Claim
At Dolman Law Group, we recognize that your family may depend on your paycheck to make ends meet, so you can count on us to actively pursue fair compensation for your workers’ compensation claim. Our team of experienced personal injury attorneys will work tirelessly to document the value of your medical expenses and lost wages, as well as account for the future financial consequences of your injury or illness.
We make a habit of setting high expectations for our team because we believe that our clients deserve us at our best. The workers’ compensation lawyers of Dolman Law Group regularly represent injured healthcare workers who have been injured or become ill during the course of their job duties, which has allowed us to hone our skill set in this area.
To schedule a free consultation with our team, reach out to us at (727) 451-6900 or fill out our online contact form. After reviewing your case, we can offer clarity on what your workers’ compensation claim may be worth, explain what types of evidence you will need to verify your claim, and describe the general steps of the workers’ compensation claims process, including checking the status of your claim. Let our team manage the legal logistics of your workers’ compensation claim while you focus on recuperating from your workplace illness or injury.