A burn injury at work can leave a worker needing temporary or permanent disability benefits.
Employees injured at work are generally entitled to workers compensation benefits to cover the costs of their medical treatment, as well as for any time they need to miss work as a cause of their healing.
For some injuries, the matters are fairly straightforward. A broken arm would need enough coverage for initial treatment and casts, and perhaps some pain medication. But, other more complex injuries or illnesses may be more difficult to put a price on.
Such is the case with burn injuries. Often, these type of injuries come with additional complications like infections that also need medical care. When this happens, the compensation benefits have to account for even the subsequent treatment. But how is the amount calculated?
Compensation for Work Injuries
Under the Missouri workers’ compensation laws, you should receive benefits for the entire scope of your treatment, or until the doctors state your condition can no longer improve. So, if you have a leg fracture, compensation benefits would cover medications, surgeries, and any therapy you’d need to get better. But, if your leg is permanently damaged, then the workers’ compensation benefits will no longer be given. What happens then?
In the case of burn injuries, it would mean your compensation benefits should cover everything from the initial trip to the hospital for immediate care to any treatments you require later on. If, however, you develop a permanent condition because of your injury, the law says workers compensation benefits will not continue to be given, even if you still require medical treatment.
How Much Can You Recover?
If you have been injured at work, a typical workers’ comp claim will entitle the worker to 4 different types of benefits:
- weekly compensation benefits
- permanent impairment benefits
- payment for medical bills
- vocational rehabilitation
When a work injury leaves the worker disabled, the injured worker will receive one of the following:
- temporary total disability
- temporary partial disability
- permanent total disability
- permanent partial disability
Ideally, you should be reimbursed for all the medical bills issued as a result of your burn treatment. However, in some cases, it is possible to face some issues with the insurance company, particularly if you need additional therapy to treat your wounds.
Some burn injuries can affect your mobility, or even require you to seek psychological therapy to get over the trauma. Unfortunately, the insurance adjusters may see these additional medical costs as unnecessary and deny covering them. As they would see it, once your injury is healed, they are no longer required to pay for any other treatments you’d need for other conditions you develop. However, Missouri law explicitly says they have to.
Contact a St. Louis Work Injury Attorney
There is no way to calculate the amount of benefits you’d receive for burn injuries without analyzing your medical situation. Additionally, it is a known fact that the healing and rehabilitation of burn victims can be influenced by a variety of different factors, from the injured employee’s health to other conditions they may suffer from.
In these cases, it’s best to work with a St. Louis workers compensation attorney. Based on your case and the medical evidence you have, they can help ensure the benefits cover the full costs of your treatment, so that none of your medical bill reimbursements get denied.