Introduction
Many people go to work and don’t think about anything apart from their job responsibilities at their workplace. However, there are only a few people who pay attention to their employee rights along with their responsibilities. They will raise their voice when their rights are taken away. Every worker should be aware of their rights and act accordingly, but unfortunately, they aren’t aware of their rights.
If you are working somewhere, you should know about employee rights and never sign any documents without understanding them properly. Reports from workers’ comp attorney boca raton show that some people are waived off their rights because they didn’t act properly in the right situation.
Things to Know About Workers’ Compensation
One of the most important aspects of employee rights is to know about workers’ compensation. It helps you to get compensation from your employer if you meet an accident or injury at work. So, learn about workers’ compensations to protect your rights when you get injured at the workplace.
1. Workers’ Compensation Basics
Workers’ compensation is the insurance that protects the workers in the form of finances when they get injured at the workplace. The employer needs to ensure that your work environment is safe and secure.
However, if a worker gets injured due to any accidents or acts of negligence or for any reason, the employer will aid compensation for your loss. An employee will be given compensation for both temporary as well as permanent injuries. In case of death, the dependents of the employee will receive compensation.
2. Eligibility for Workers’ Compensation
Now that you understand that workers’ compensation protects you, is everyone eligible for this? No, everyone is not eligible. Employees who work under a private or independent contractor won’t be eligible for workers’ compensation. Apart from this, farmers, business owners, casual workers, railroad employees are not entitled to get workers’ compensation.
Moreover, you should be aware of the fact that if you are a federal employee, you will only receive compensation under federal law, not by state law. Additionally, some states don’t enact compensation laws for employers with less than five workers.
3. Incidents Not Covered in Workers’ Compensation
Now, let’s understand what the incidents under which you will get workers’ compensation are.
- First, you are not eligible to get compensation if you are under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the workplace.
- Secondly, you will not get compensation if you damage yourself with the intent to get financial benefits.
- Lastly, you will not receive compensation if you are injured while not on duty.
4. What Benefits Will You Get Under Workers’ Compensation?
There are some factors that come into the picture to determine the amount of compensation—for instance, your salary, the number of members depending on your family, etc. Usually, the amount of compensation is less than your pay at work.
Anyway, you may receive the following benefits if you get injured at work due to an accident or act of negligence:
- Financial aid for medical expenses.
- You may receive replacement income.
- If you want to retain the job after the incident, you can do that too.
- If an employee is killed on the job, the dependents will receive compensation.
5. Can You Sue Your Employer?
In some situations, you can sue if your employer intentionally planned to harm you. Remember, you will not receive the compensation because you have filed a claim in court.
However, you should consult a workers’ compensation lawyer before taking any legal action since it can reward you with a lot of benefits if you win the case.
Conclusion
Hopefully, the above information has helped you to be aware of employee rights and workers’ compensation. You should take immediate action whenever you face any accident or injury at your work to get the right compensation. If you have any queries, please share them in the comments section.
