Mississippi Workers’ Comp Lawyers

Helping Injured Workers Get the Benefits They Deserve

As a hard-working employee, you should be able to feel confident that your employer will provide you with the support you need if you’re injured at work. If you’re starting to realize this isn’t the case for you, it’s time to contact a Mississippi workers’ compensation lawyer to ensure you get the benefits you’re entitled to after a painful workplace injury.

At Tannehill Carmean, PLLC, we’ve guided numerous injured workers toward their rightful workers’ compensation benefits. Whether you want legal advice before starting your workers’ compensation claim or have encountered some pushback from your employer or their insurance company, we’re here to assist you. Call our law firm today to hire a lawyer who is committed to getting you the workers’ compensation benefits you deserve.

What Is Workers’ Compensation?

Workers’ compensation is insurance coverage that most employers are required to have in the event that any employees are injured at work. This insurance program is not fault-based, which means employees should not have to prove any details about who or what caused their injury or job-related illness. As long as it’s clear that the injuries occurred at work, the injured workers should be eligible for certain benefits, such as medical treatment and income replacement.

Mississippi law requires any company with five or more employees to carry workers’ compensation insurance. However, only employees are eligible to recover workers’ compensation benefits, not independent contractors, business owners, or volunteers. Additionally, certain types of workers are ineligible because they’re covered by other workplace injury programs. Some examples include farm workers, domestic workers, and federal employees.

If you believe you’re eligible to make a workers’ compensation claim and are not sure where to begin with this process, you should contact a Mississippi workers’ compensation lawyer for legal support. We’ll ensure you understand the benefits you’ll receive and determine if you have any other legal options for additional coverage, such as a third-party liability claim. Call our trusted law firm to learn more.

What Does Workers’ Compensation Cover?

The typical workers’ compensation claim provides injured workers with the benefits they need after suffering an injury that leaves them unable to keep working for a period of time. These benefits typically include medical care and lost wages, allowing individuals to pay their bills while recovering from injuries at home. In the most severe instances, where an injured worker dies from their workplace accident, their family could be eligible to receive death benefits through workers’ compensation.

A Mississippi workers’ compensation lawyer can tell you what specific medical and income replacement benefits you qualify for based on your situation. Contact our law firm today to schedule a consultation and learn about the most common workers’ compensation benefits in the meantime.

Medical Benefits

It’s critical for you to get the medical care you need for a workplace illness or injury, and you can do this by filing a workers’ compensation claim. Your coverage will pay for all necessary medical treatment, including:

  •   Hospital stays
  •   Doctor visits
  •   Surgery
  •   Prescription medication
  •   Medical devices
  •   Physical therapy
  •   At-home nursing services
  •   Mileage from traveling to medical appointments

The length of time your workers’ compensation coverage will pay for your medical expenses varies depending on the severity of the injury. If you suffered a permanent partial injury, you could get your medical expenses paid by your claim for up to 450 weeks.

If you sustained less severe injuries that require less medical attention, your medical benefits will continue until you’re fully healed and able to return to work, which could take several weeks or months. On the other hand, if your on-the-job injury is considered a permanent total injury that will prevent you from working again, your medical benefits could continue for life.

Wage Loss Benefits

Staying home from work, healing from an injury or illness, can feel stressful if you’re unsure how you’ll pay your bills while you’re off work. This is why workers’ comp offers income replacement along with the medical benefits. The amount of money you get and the length of time you get it for will depend on whether your injuries are temporary or permanent.

Most employees are eligible for temporary benefits after a work injury. These usually equal about two-thirds of their average weekly wage. So, if you’re unable to work for weeks or months after your injury, temporary total disability benefits will ensure you get paid a portion of your regular wages until you can return to work.

If you heal enough to return to work but realize your injury prevents you from earning your full income, you may qualify for temporary partial disability benefits. In this case, if you can only work limited hours due to your on-the-job injury, workers’ comp will help make up for your lost wages by paying a portion of the difference in your wages before and after the injury.

Once your doctor tells you that you’ve reached the maximum medical improvement, meaning your injury is unlikely to improve even with additional medical attention, you may be eligible to get permanent disability benefits. If you get permanent total disability benefits because you’re unable to return to work, your wage loss benefits will continue at the same rate as your temporary benefits. These can usually continue for up to 450 weeks.

If you’re partially disabled, you can get permanent partial disability payments to compensate you for not being able to earn the wage you used to. Such payments typically equal a portion of your average weekly wage before the injury, and they can continue for 100 to 200 weeks in many cases. Your Mississippi workers’ compensation lawyer can tell you what to expect when it comes to the amount you’ll receive and how long the payments will continue.

What Should You Do After You Sustain Serious Injuries in a Workplace Accident?

Workers’ compensation cases are time-sensitive, so it’s essential to act as quickly as you can when you suffer injuries in a workplace accident. After all, you’ll need medical care and money to pay your bills soon after the incident, and the best way to get these benefits is by filing a workers’ compensation claim.

You should take the following steps after a workplace accident in Mississippi:

  •   Report the injury to your employer if they did not witness it. Mississippi workers’ compensation laws state that you only have 30 days to report the injury, but the sooner you can do it, the better, preferably in writing
  •   Seek medical attention for your injuries. You should see a doctor the same day of your injuries when possible, as your health should come first. Don’t worry about your medical expenses, as your workers’ comp claim will pay for these. Just be sure to keep your medical bills and medical records to show that you got the necessary treatment for your injuries
  •   Document the workplace accident. Even though workers’ compensation laws don’t require you to prove fault, you never know when your employer or their insurance company will try to deny that the accident happened at work, or otherwise make it hard for you to recover workers’ compensation benefits. This is why you should take photos of your injuries and the accident scene, write down an account of what happened, and get the contact information of witnesses in case you need statements from them
  •   File a workers’ compensation claim. Your employer should provide you with the forms you need to start the entire process of seeking financial compensation through the workers’ compensation system. Once you fill out the forms, your employer should forward them to their insurance company to accept or deny. If your employer fails to do this, or if their insurance company denies the claim, you should contact a Mississippi workers’ compensation lawyer for legal help

When you call our law firm for help collecting workers’ compensation after a work-related injury, we’ll review the details of your situation before providing legal advice. In some cases, it might turn out that someone else’s negligence led to your injury, allowing you to bring a personal injury claim against a third party outside of your employer. Our team will advise you on your next steps, whether you need to appeal a workers’ comp decision or file a third-party liability claim. Call our law firm to get started.

How Can Mississippi Workers’ Comp Lawyers Assist with Your Claim?

If you’re in pain from a work injury or illness, you shouldn’t have to suffer the consequences alone. Whether you sustained broken bones from a truck accident while on the job or were exposed to harmful chemicals for a prolonged period at work, you deserve to collect the compensation you’re entitled to according to state law.

When you hire Tannehill Carmean, PLLC, for your workers’ compensation or personal injury claim, you’ll have a caring team by your side throughout the legal process. To learn more about your options as an injured worker, call 662-200-8734 for a consultation.