Workers’ compensation laws are in place to make sure you get what you need in a time of crisis. When you’re injured, it’s no question that you deserve the time to receive the appropriate medical care and time to recover.
For some workers, the thought of missing work and their wages makes them continue on when they should really rest. They may worry about their ability to continue meeting their financial obligations if they take time off of work to heal.
The fact is that workers’ compensation insurance is there to prevent workers from having the work when they’re injured and to cover the costs associated with taking time off for that injury.
Workers’ compensation covers things such as:
- A portion of lost wages
- Medical expenses for on-the-job and job-related injuries or illnesses
- Funeral and burial costs for workers who die due to a work injury or accident
When can employees seek workers’ compensation?
Employees can seek workers’ compensation when they have suffered injuries as a result of diseases or accidents caused by their work. The employee should not have been willfully negligent at the time. This means that he or she should not have intentionally caused an injury to him or herself.
The employee should also show that he or she was doing work that is in the normal course of business and that the injury occurred while in Nebraska or while performing work for the Nebraska-based employer in another state.
Once an employee can show these things, he or she should be entitled to workers’ compensation and able to collect compensation for medical bills. After a period of time off work, the employee may begin to receive workers’ compensation benefits for lost wages. This won’t be a full wage, but it will cover a significant portion of what the individual has lost by being off work.