Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Frederick, MD
Understanding What Workers’ Compensation Does Not Cover
Workers’ Compensation insurance provides essential benefits for individuals who sustain injuries at work and cannot perform their jobs. It can also offer significant protection for employers by eliminating their employees’ right to sue them for negligence. If you have been injured at work, you may wish to contact our workers compensation lawyers Frederick MD. Still, there are many circumstances in which this insurance does not apply.
What Does Workers’ Compensation Cover?
Work-related injuries can lead to significant financial burdens for employees, resulting from:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Rehabilitation costs
- Funeral expenses
- Ongoing disability expenses
Workers’ compensation may also pay for employees to learn a new vocation when they can not resume their pre-injury roles. Workers compensation lawyers Frederick MD can help get you maximum compensation possible.
Although in most states, businesses must provide workers’ compensation coverage for full-time employees, it is essential to understand that many states do not require coverage for the following:
- Real estate agents
- Federal workers
- Business owners
- Insurance agents
- Temporary and Part-time workers
- Businesses without a minimum number of full-time workers
What Is Not Covered By Workers’ Compensation?
Employees and employers should know which injuries qualify for workers’ compensation claims. Various rules determine the types of damages that fall under an individual’s employment course and scope.
Coming and Going
Injuries that occur while traveling to and from work do not qualify for workers’ compensation unless employees drive company vehicles; however, there are some exceptions. Benefits will apply if employees commute to and from company-related job sites, including manufacturing plants, sales territories and conferences. An employee may also qualify for compensation for injuries when leaving a work-site to run a work-related errand, but not for going out to have lunch.
Reckless Behavior
Employees who engage in non-work-related horseplay activities that cause their injuries are not entitled to workers’ compensation. For example, an employee who breaks a leg sliding down a workplace banister or suffers a broken nose during a physical fight with another employee will not receive benefits because the injury is not due to a work-related task; it is the employee’s fault entirely.
Intoxication
An injury, such as falling down a flight of stairs while intoxicated, does not constitute a valid workers’ compensation when it does not involve extenuating factors. Intoxicated employees will only qualify for coverage when they sustain injuries due to circumstances that would otherwise be out of their control, such as when a falling beam causes a concussion.
Social and Team-Building Activities
Employees who sustain injuries while voluntarily attending company-sponsored events, including parties and other social activities, may not receive compensation benefits unless their presence is a job requirement.
If you cannot pay your bills because a job-related injury prevents you from working, speak with workers compensation lawyers Frederick MD for guidance about your rights.
The attorneys at Cohen & Cohen have settled thousands of cases in the last thirty years, in areas ranging from medical malpractice, to product defect lawsuits, and workers compensation. Contact our workers compensation lawyers Frederick MD at (202) 955-4529 for a free case evaluation today.
