Dealing with the aftermath of an unexpected workplace injury or trauma can create a lot of additional stress. Between lost income, a need for rest and healing, medical expenses, and difficulties in navigating the workers’ compensation process, workplace injuries add strain to everyday life.
If you’ve been injured at work, you should be able to prioritize your personal health and safety. While the workers’ comp process may be complex and often confusing, it is your right to access those benefits if the circumstances of the injury call for it.
Beginning the workers’ compensation filing process as soon as possible after sustaining an injury is crucial in securing the benefits to which you may be entitled. Reaching out to a workers’ compensation attorney, familiarizing yourself with which conditions and injuries qualify you for workers’ comp can make the process smoother in the long run.
If you suffer an accidental physical injury while acting within your job duties, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation. Qualifying physical workplace injuries include, but are not limited to the following:
If you sustain an injury while operating within your job duties off-site, like a vehicular accident while commuting to visit a client/customer, or completing a required task, you may be entitled to compensation.
If you have a pre existing injury or condition that is exacerbated by your job duties, you can still qualify for workers’ compensation. This can include physical injuries like bad knees or back problems, as well as mental conditions like PTSD, depression, and anxiety which have been aggravated by your line of work. You must work with a medical professional to determine that your job duties are contributing to worsening a preexisting condition.
Sometimes, such as when a traumatic event occurs at work, the injury incurred may be psychological. In order to be compensated for psychological stress, you must be able to demonstrate that you have experienced something greater than the day-to-day emotional strain all employees experience in your line of work.
In Wisconsin, you may receive workers’ compensation for PTSD resulting from extraordinary events that are abnormal for your line of work. For most professions, this includes:
To receive workers’ compensation for psychological conditions including PTSD, depression, and anxiety, you must receive a diagnosis from a medical professional, and you must prove that your condition was primarily caused by your work or that the condition arose due to a physical injury you suffered at work. If the psychological injury results from a physical injury at work, you may be entitled to compensation for both.
An occupational disease is a health condition that you have developed over an extended period of time due to the nature of your work. This can include health issues related to exposure to substances, or conditions that are sustained from your physical job requirements.
In order to receive compensation for occupational diseases, you must meet with a medical professional to determine that your occupation is the cause of your symptoms.
However, there are many restrictions and caveats that many prevent you from qualifying for workers’ compensation, including:
The process to secure workers’ compensation does not have to be painful. Attorney Rachel Fitzgerald is an expert at navigating the workers’ compensation process and will be a tireless advocate for you as you work to secure the benefits and care you deserve. Take an important step in securing your compensation and schedule a free consultation today.
Fitzgerald Law Firm specializes
in Workers’ Compensation and Social Security Disability law.
We serve as an advocate for clients and provide high-quality legal representation to help them
fight for the benefits they deserve.
