A Few Quick Tips to Help You Find the Best Workers Compensation Insurance Company PART 4

Types of Workers’ Compensation Coverage

A Workers’ Compensation insurance coverage include:

Medical care of the sick or injured employee

• Doctor’s appointments
• Hospital and emergency room visits
• Medications
• Therapy and rehabilitation except for some alternative treatments such as Acupuncture, Naturopathic treatment, Homeopathic medicine
• Use of recovery equipment

Vocational rehabilitation including counseling

• Physical therapy
• Vocational rehabilitation for any new training and certifications

Disability benefits or wage replacement

Disability benefits are remuneration given to an employee who is incapacitated to work because of work-related injuries or illness.

The first type is a temporary disability which is given to a worker who missed work for three days or more because of job-related injuries. This normally counts on the fourth day of his absence and given to him on a bi-weekly basis. There are two types of temporary disability available under this program:

• Temporary total disability benefit. It is a form of assistance given to an employee temporarily incapacitated due to his condition. An example is an employee who broke his right arm and couldn’t function well with his left hand.
• Temporary partial disability is given to an employee who can return to work without needing time off but at a reduced capacity. An example is an employee is allowed to work for four hours instead of eight hours until he completely heals.

Since it is temporary, it ends when:

• The employee is already certified by his attending physician as either fit to return to his previous task or adjust to a modified task
• Failure of the worker to keep his scheduled medical appointments
• Reached the prescribed improvement goal
• Modification, termination, or suspension of benefits due to other reasons

The second type of disability benefit is the permanent disability which is further classified as partial and total.

• Permanent partial disability. This covers particular body parts or systems that permanently lost their functions or use. It includes fingers, toes, legs, eyes, feet, vision or hearing, and/ or body systems like nervous, respiratory, or digestive systems. Compensation is determined based on the rating to be provided by the employee’s attending physician.
• Permanent total disability benefits are given to an employee who is totally incapacitated to work because of his injury. Compensation is around two-thirds of the employee’s rate per week before the injury and continues while he lives.

Funeral expenses and death benefits for the dependents

• The employees’ survivors are eligible to receive his workers’ compensation for death and funeral benefits under the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA). They may be his elderly parents, spouse, and children below 18 years old with the exemption for those with special needs or disabilities.

The workers comp insurance also provides protection for the employer from possible lawsuits arising from these injuries or illnesses. Given this scenario, business owners face a huge challenge in discerning the best workers’ compensation program partner for his team.