Work-related injuries are a common occupational risk. Professionals in any profession could fall, hurt themselves with equipment or otherwise sustain an injury in a work incident.
Professionals who fall off a ladder or get hurt by a piece of defective equipment usually recognize that they may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. However, not all medical issues related to people’s employment are injuries. Some people get diagnosed with occupational diseases. Conditions ranging from cancer caused by chemical exposure to carpal tunnel syndrome could be the results of a professional’s employment.
How can people cover the expenses generated by occupational diseases?
Worker’s compensation could help
Technically, any medical condition directly related to a worker’s employment could help them qualify for workers’ compensation benefits. When an injury follows an incident on the job, there is usually clear documentation connecting the employee’s medical condition to their work.
Occupational diseases can be more difficult to address. Employees may need to communicate with their doctors about the likely origins of their conditions.
In cases involving cancer or other illnesses related to chemical exposure, discussing job responsibilities could help establish a connection. Explaining repetitive job functions to a healthcare professional could help establish that a repetitive strain injury is the result of an employee’s standard job responsibilities.
So long as the health care professionals assert that the job caused the condition, the employee may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. If their employer disputes their claim for benefits, then they may need to undergo additional evaluations to connect their medical challenges to their work.
What benefits are available?
Workers’ compensation can potentially pay for all necessary treatment to resolve an occupational illness or disease. Workers’ compensation medical benefits could pay for surgery or physical therapy for someone with carpal tunnel syndrome, for example. Typically, any treatment deemed necessary and likely to be effective could be eligible for workers’ compensation coverage.
Workers may also be eligible for disability benefits. Those benefits can replace some of their lost wages while they undergo treatment. In scenarios where an occupational disease forever reduces earning potential, permanent disability benefits can replace their wages or supplement their reduced income.
Learning more about workers’ compensation can help people defray expenses related to their employment. Occupational illnesses can lead to eligibility for benefits just like injuries often do.
