Workers’ Compensation Benefits in St. Louis

Missouri state law requires all employers in St. Louis with five or more employees to retain a workers’ compensation insurance policy. Even so, many employers with fewer employees still choose to buy into these policies. This is good news for employees. A workers’ compensation insurance plan provides many benefits that help injured or ill employees make their best recovery and remain financially stable.

While workers’ compensation benefits in St. Louis are never a substitute for remaining on the job, they can help you obtain the medical care that you need and provide partial wage reimbursement. This guide could help you determine if an insurer’s proposed benefit package fits the seriousness of your illness or injury. If not, this can serve as the basis for an appeal. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to an experienced workers’ compensation attorney.

Workers’ Compensation Insurance Plans Always Pay for Medical Care

One benefit that all St. Louis workers’ compensation insurance packages will always offer is medical care. This includes medical care needed on an emergency basis as well as ongoing treatment to help an affected ill or injured employee. In fact, an insurance plan must provide direct payments for all necessary medical care until a worker makes a full recovery or reaches a level of maximum improvement.

In many examples, this can include:

• An ambulance ride to the hospital
• ER or urgent care treatment
• Surgery
• Hospitalization
• Medications
• Rehabilitation sessions

As long as a worker can connect their injury or illness to their performance of their work duties as required under Missouri Revised Statutes §287.020, they can expect to receive free medical care for their condition.

Cash Benefits that May Result from a Workers’ Compensation Claim

Another potential workers’ compensation benefit that an ill or injured employee in St. Louis may receive is direct cash payments. These result from a worker losing time on the job because of their diagnosed medical condition.

A total temporary disability (TTD) refers to the time that a worker spends making a recovery that keeps them off the job. People will not receive benefits for the first three days that they remain off the job. However, if their condition keeps them out of work for 14 or more days, they will receive benefits for these first three days. TTD payments are 66.66 percent of a worker’s average weekly wage prior to the injury.

Payments can also take the form of permanent disability payments. This can be a partial disability that affects a person’s ability to return to full work status for the rest of their lives or even a total disability that leaves them unable to work at all. In these situations, payments can take place over time as 66.66 percent of a person’s prior wages or even be a lump sum settlement from an insurance company.

A seasoned St. Louis workers’ compensation benefits attorney could evaluate an insurance company’s proposed benefits package to determine if the potential payments match a person’s medical diagnosis and potential for recovery.

Contact an Attorney to Learn More About Workers’ Compensation Benefits in St. Louis

Most employers in St. Louis will have a workers’ compensation insurance plan in place for their own protection. These plans provide benefits to injured or ill workers directly after incidents that arise from performing their work duties.

Workers’ compensation benefits in St. Louis can take the form of medical care for the condition that keeps you off the job, or in the form of cash payments for periods of disability that result from the injury or illness. Whether you missed a few days of work while making a recovery or are now finding that your ability to return to the workforce is reduced, you have the right to seek out fair benefits. Talking with an experienced lawyer could help you better understand your rights under the law. Reach out today to learn more.