WORKERS’ COMPENSATION

Most workers who are injured in the course and scope of their employment are entitled to compensation for their on-the-job injury.  This includes, among other things, compensation for any permanent injury, wages while a worker is out of work, and payment for medical treatment.  Many employers will readily pay these costs, but injured employees are entitled to much more than their employers regularly acknowledge.  Our team of North Carolina Worker Compensation lawyers have the knowledge and experience to navigate the minefield of workers’ compensation law, and will work hard to maximize the value of your claim for on-the-job injury.

In addition to compensation for permanent injury, lost wages, and payment for medical treatment, injured workers are entitled to a host of other benefits from their employers.  For instance, even after an injured worker has been discharged from his or her physician, that worker is entitled to continuing payment for medical expenses incurred as a result of an injury for a rolling two-year period after that worker’s last date of medical treatment. 

If a worker is no longer capable of doing the same job he or she did prior to the injury, the worker is entitled to vocational rehabilitation, at the expense of the employer, to find other suitable areas of employment.  The worker is also entitled to payment should he or she be unable to find comparable employment even after a physician has cleared that worker to return to work.  If the worker does find other employment, but does so at a reduced rate of compensation, the worker may be entitled to have the employer make up part of the difference in wages.  A worker is entitled to reimbursement for prescription medication expenses related to the injury.  A worker is also entitled to certain travel costs to and from doctor visits.  Finally, our experienced North Carolina Worker Compensation attorneys will ensure that a worker gets a second opinion from a different doctor, at the employer’s expense, if that is believed to be necessary.

At Brown Moore & Associates we will work to maximize the value of your claim if you have been injured on-the-job.  That requires looking prospectively at long-term consequences of your injury, as well as evaluating your future prospects for employment.  We have the knowledge and the resources to put these factors to work for you.

If you are injured on-the-job you will face a choice with how to proceed with receiving compensation in a workers’ compensation claim.  First, you can elect to have your employer continue to pay future medical expenses as they may arise within a two year window from your last date of medical treatment.  That choice will also require your employer to pay directly to a vocational rehabilitation program should you require re-training to find a different area of employment.  The employer may also be responsible, on a continuing basis, for periods of wage loss due to unemployment related to your injury, or diminished wage-earning capacity as a consequence of your injury.  The employer will also be responsible for direct compensation to you as a result of any permanent disability resulting from your injury. 

Alternatively, you may choose a lump sum payment directly to you which incorporates all of these factors and the likelihood of these factors arising.  As opposed to leaving the employer on the hook for ongoing benefits, this lump sum will result in a complete discharge of all of the employers’ ongoing responsibilities.  It goes without saying that this option is valuable to the employer, and is an important consideration in determining what type of lump sum payment is ultimately reached.  At Brown Moore & Associates, our North Carolina worker compensation lawyers will work with you to determine which choice is best in your particular circumstances.

We also recognize that employers will often contest benefits, or deny certain medical treatment during the course of an injured workers’ recovery.  At Brown Moore & Associates we aggressively represent our clients during this time through negotiations, mediations, and formal hearings.  Our goal is to work hard for our clients to seek the benefits and medical treatment which our clients need to get their lives back on track.

Please contact us if you find yourself in need of a North Carolina Worker Compensation Lawyer.

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