Frederick, MD Workers Compensation Lawyers Explain The Process
Many workers who have been injured from work related accidents and illnesses need workers compensation benefits to pay for their injuries- and the help of Frederick, MD workers compensation lawyers to attain this.
Workers compensation is a form of insurance that provides medical benefits to employees who have been injured or become ill at work or because of workplace conditions. This is often offered to employees in exchange for the relinquishment of the employee’s right to sue their employer via a personal injury claim based on the employer’s negligence.
While workers compensation insurance plans differ from state to state in general, they make provisions for:
- Weekly payments in place of wages
- Compensation for past and future economic loss
- Reimbursement or payment of medical and like expenses
- Benefits payable to the dependents of workers killed during employment
In general, damages for pain and suffering, and punitive damages for employer negligence are not awarded through workers compensation plans even though compensation for these things are often things that an injured worker and/or their family are entitled to. This is one of the many reasons that it is recommended that Frederick injured workers and their families seek advice from MD workers compensation lawyers before they decided whether or not to accept their employer’s workers compensation insurance.
A Brief History of Workers Compensation in the United States
The first forms of workers compensation in the United States were when Georgia and Alabama passed Employer Liability Acts in 1855. Between 1855 and 1907, 26 other states passed similar acts.
Workers compensation was established to protect both employees and employers. Prior to establishing mandatory workers compensation laws, unless an employee had the resources to sue an employer, and the time to wait the oftentimes years before their case went to trial, they had no repurcussions to seek compensation for an injury or illness that was (in part or whole) because of an employer’s negligence. These laws are also designed to protect employers from becoming bankrupt because of a lawsuit from an injured employee.
Unfortunately, just because we have mandatory workers compensation laws, they do not always fully compensate workers for expenses related to their injury or illness. A good way to find out if a worker’s rights are being upheld by a workers compensation offer is to ask Frederick MD workers compensation lawyers to review the worker’s claim.
In 1902, Maryland was the first state to establish a statewide workers compensation law. The first law covering federal employees was passed in 1906. Every U.S. state had enacted a workers compensation program by 1949.
Workers Compensation Insurance Companies
The companies that carry workers compensation insurance are big and powerful entities with a wealth of resources at their bay. They often use these resources to enable their company to pay out as little as they can, no matter how much a workplace accident victim and their family need the maximum amount that they are entitled to.
For Frederick, MD workers compensation lawyers that are experienced in successfully defending the rights of workplace accident victims, contact Cohen & Cohen for a free case evaluation, any time of the day or night, any day of the year.
