Understanding The Basics Of North Carolina’s Workers’ Compensation Law

Worker’s compensation is an insurance system that provides medical care and wages to North Carolina employees injured on the job. Workers’ compensation is no-fault insurance provided by employers for employees. Employees do not have to show that someone else was at fault or caused the injury. As Workers Compensation Lawyers, we want all employees to know their rights under the North Carolina workers’ compensation law and what they should do if injured on the job.

Under North Carolina Workers Compensation law, employees give up their right to sue for workplace injuries and receive protections in the form of medical benefits and recovery for lost wages. If you are injured on the job, you should immediately seek medical help. The next step is to notify the employer. Injured workers should file a report of the accident and injury to the employer as soon as they can. Employees should file a notice of workplace injury immediately after getting medical care; they must file notice within 30 days of the accident and injury.

The law limits the time to file a claim to two years after the accident or injury. The notice of injury must be filed sooner. The rules expect notice to be filed in writing with the employer within 30 days of the incident. Before and after filing notice, injured workers can benefit from the advice of experienced workers’ compensation lawyers. Workers’ compensation benefits and protections depend on meeting time deadlines and developing important information about the injuries, recovery, and extent of long-term disability.

Workers’ Comp. Benefits

Workers Compensation covers nearly all North Carolina employees. The law protects workers that file injury claims. The employer may not fire an employee or treat them worse than other employees because they filed an injury claim.

The workers’ compensation insurance pays for medical care for long as the injured worker needs treatment. Medical care includes treatment by specialists and rehabilitation. Workers that cannot work or cannot work full-time can collect benefits to cover most of their lost income.

However, there are strict rules for filing within specific time periods. When injured workers fail to meet filing deadlines they can lose their rights to wage and medical benefits.

Temporary and Permanent Disability

The worker’s compensation law provides benefits for injured workers to cover medical treatment and lost wages. The medical coverage includes medically necessary care from primary care providers and specialists. When traveling to and from medical appointments, the law provides payments for mileage. Workers’ compensation lawyers provide advice and assistance to workers injured on the job. They make sure that the injured worker files notices and claims correctly and within the required time limits.

– Wage replacement benefits are based on temporary partial, temporary total, permanent partial, and permanent total disability. The state calculates benefit payments based on the average weekly wage. The system will pay two-thirds of the average weekly wages. Payments can continue for the duration of the disability. Worker’s compensation helps workers regain maximum medical improvement. The duration of payments is linked to the severity of injuries and the extent that which they are permanent conditions.

– Severe injuries can lead to death. Worker’s compensation provides death benefits for the worker’s family. Death benefits cover the costs of last medical care, funeral costs, and burial expenses. The family will also receive additional money and benefits.

Other factors to consider include: