Thursday, June 16, 2011

What is Workers Compensation

Workers compensation is a body of laws and regulations that determine how much worker can be compensated when injured on the job. They were implemented last century for the purpose of providing workers with a quick and almost hassle free way of getting money to help cover injuries suffered on the job. They were also enacted to help owners and employers keep their liability to a minimum.

This information has been provided as a reference only, and is for educational purposes only. Contact an experienced Chicago Worker’s Compensation Attorney for more information.

Workers Compensation Benefits


Benefits are given based on formulas and other determinants found in the regulations. After reporting the incident to the boss and getting medical documentation, the employee will then use this document and incident report to file a claim for compensation. Each state of the union has its own method of determining how much, when and how benefits are to be distributed.

Limitations on Benefits


The benefits given through workers comp are exclusive when it comes to an employee and employer. This essentially means that an injured employee is limited to these benefits and can not pursue the owner or operator for damages stemming from a workplace injury. This protects employers and owners from going under from the financial strain involved in covering on job accidents.

That being said, employees have other options for compensation outside of the workers comp statutes; they can sue third parties which may be responsible for their injuries. This includes tool and equipment manufacturers, designers and suppliers. It also includes other workers on the site and any other 3rd party that may be responsible for causing injury.