Woodland Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
Have you suffered a workplace injury? Did you get sick from exposure to something toxic at work? You may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. Call New Jersey workers’ compensation lawyer Stan Gregory for help with your claim. Stan Gregory has over twenty years of experience helping injured workers in New Jersey receive their due compensation.
Know that insurance companies only make profit for their shareholders when they deny, delay, or underpay workers’ claims for benefits. To that end, insurance companies have a team of lawyers on their side, looking out for the bottom line.
Stan Gregory has made it his goal to level the playing field for you. He has built his career on helping workers like you fight back when the insurance company delays, underpays, or denies claims. Call our workers’ compensation lawyers in Woodland today at 609-281-5100 and receive your free initial consultation. Stan Gregory only takes cases on a contingency basis, so you never pay out-of-pocket for his services.
How a Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Can Help
An experienced workers’ compensation attorney helps workers navigate the complex legal process of filing a workers’ compensation claim. They offer legal advice on effectively reporting an incident or accident and what type of medical evidence a worker should request when they visit a doctor. They also represent and advocate for injured workers during negotiations with the insurance company and during any legal proceedings in workers’ compensation court.
A workers’ compensation attorney acts as your guide through the confusing and complicated legal process and fight the insurance companies when they seek to deny you your due compensation.
What to Do If You Suffer an On-The-Job Injury
Here are the three steps to take if you suffer an injury or think there is a chance you might develop an injury or illness due to a workplace incident or accident.
- Report the incident to your supervisor or manager so that there is a record of the injury and the incident or accident that caused it. If you do not report the incident or accident soon after it occurs, your case becomes more difficult to prove. If there is even a remote chance you were injured or you might fall ill because of something that happened at work, you should report the incident because some injuries and illnesses take time to develop.
- You must see a doctor paid for by your employer before seeing one of your choice, unless you fall under the protection of the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA). FECA allows federal employees to see the doctor of their choice first. Visiting a doctor and obtaining the doctor’s report is essential to the claims process because the doctor’s report determines the scope of your injury or illness, and thus the type and amount of benefits you are eligible for.
- You should write down what happened at work and list any possible witnesses while your memory is fresh. This is how you begin to prepare to file your claim. After you have reported the incident and received the doctor’s report, you may then file your workers’ compensation claim.
An experienced workers’ compensation attorney helps you complete all three of these steps accurately and effectively so that you get the maximum benefits. If you are searching for a workers’ compensation lawyer in Woodland, NJ, contact Stan Gregory at 609-281-5100 for help.
Workers’ Compensation Benefits Available in New Jersey
The following types of workers’ compensation benefits are available to injured workers in Woodland, NJ:
Lost Wages
“Lost wages” is the term used to describe the money you are not earning while you are recovering at home. NJ’s workers’ compensation scheme compensates you for lost wages from the time you are out of work until you return. The amount of your weekly payments equals 70% of your average weekly earnings, not to exceed 75% of the Statewide Average Weekly Wage (SAWW) or fall below 20% of the SAWW.
Medical Expenses
In NJ, workers’ compensation pays for medical expenses such as hospitalization, surgeries and other procedures, therapies, prescription drugs, and other medically-necessary costs you incur during your illness or injury and your subsequent recovery. The window lasts from the time of injury until a doctor clears you for work or reports maximum medical improvement (MMI).
Temporary Partial Disability Benefits
Injured workers who cannot perform their usual job but are able to perform “light duty” may be eligible for Temporary Partial Disability. This benefit helps to cover the difference between previous earnings and what the worker earns during recovery. Temporary Partial Disability benefits are two-thirds of the difference between your usual wages and what you are earning on light duty.
Temporary Total Disability Benefits
Some injuries are so severe that a worker cannot return to work at all until they are fully recovered. Temporary Total Disability benefits help cover their lost income while they heal. Beneficiaries receive two-thirds of their regular income and start receiving payments as early as three days from being out of work. Payments stop when a doctor approves return to work or if the worker gets the maximum of 400 weeks of payments.
Permanent Partial Disability Benefits
Some employees become permanently impaired due to a workplace accident, but they are still able to work. The type and severity of illness or injury determine the amount of Permanent Partial Disability benefits.
Permanent disabilities are either scheduled or unscheduled. Scheduled disabilities are visual or hearing impairments or the loss of fingers, toes, or limbs. Unscheduled disabilities may be heart, lung, or back issues. Either way, a permanent disability is compensable even when the worker returns to work.
Permanent Total Disability Benefits
Workers who become unable to work due to their impairment may be eligible for Permanent Total Disability benefits. It does not matter if the worker can work some other job – if the worker cannot perform their previous duties, they are eligible for this benefit. Total blindness or the loss of both arms are examples of total disability.
Death Benefits
The dependents of workers who die due to a job-related injury or illness may be eligible for workers’ compensation death benefits, including funeral expenses. The term “dependents” may not be what you think, because for the purposes of workers’ compensation the definition is much broader than say for the IRS or family law. If someone close to you died due to a workplace incident, call Woodland workers’ compensation lawyer Stan Gregory to determine if you are eligible for death benefits.