Most people understand some workers’ compensation basics, but they do not know the program’s minor details. If you need workers’ comp, though, you must learn about who is eligible and how you can collect that money.
We will talk about workers’ comp a little in the following article. We will cover the basics, and we will also discuss collecting workers’ comp for mental health reasons.
What is Workers’ Comp?
You can get the workers’ comp benefits you deserve if you understand how the system works. First, though, we should make sure you comprehend the fundamental concept.
Workers’ compensation is insurance. It replaces your wages and your medical benefits if something unexpected occurs. If you work for a company and you injure yourself while on the job, you can usually collect workers’ comp.
If you collect workers’ comp, that means you can’t sue the company. By collecting it, you agree not to go after your company for what happened, even if your boss or someone else in charge knew about some potentially dangerous conditions and did not correct them.
What Can You Collect Through Workers’ Comp?
If you hurt yourself while working and need workers’ comp, you might collect money for your medical care. It should cover temporary disability benefits. It should also cover permanent disability benefits. Maybe you hurt yourself so badly that you can never go back to that same job. You will need to keep collecting money as long as you live.
You might also get supplemental job displacement benefits as part of workers’ comp. You can get a return-to-work supplement through it in some instances.
You can even get death benefits through workers’ comp if you die while on the job. You can’t collect it, but your family can. If you have a spouse or children, they can expect some compensatory money.
Is It Easy to Collect Workers’ Comp?
Usually, if you hurt yourself while on the job, you can collect workers’ comp with no trouble. Workers’ comp comes to you on a state level, not a federal one. You must contact your state’s Workers’
Compensation Board.
They will have you fill out forms describing what happened. They will also need information regarding your injury or illness. They will need ongoing details about your status if you continue collecting money for weeks, months, or years.
What About Mental Health Reasons?
These days, lots of people have mental health struggles. The pandemic seemed to trigger many of them, but plenty existed before Covid-19 appeared.
Many individuals want to know whether they can collect workers’ comp for mental health reasons rather than physical ones. Sometimes you can do that. You must remember, though, to collect workers’ comp for mental health reasons, you must prove the job caused your problem.
That’s not always easy to do. You must get a doctor to say that your job directly caused your mental health issue. That’s sometimes difficult to establish conclusively. After all, it’s not like losing a limb while at work. That’s easy enough to prove. Mental health problems sometimes defy easy explanations.
What Mental Health Issues Trigger Workers’ Comp Claims?
If you want workers’ comp for a mental health issue, you might pursue that if you’re experiencing depression. Anxiety can also trigger a workers’ comp claim. PTSD is another possibility.
Many times, you can say stress caused your problem. You can state that your work caused your depression, stress, anxiety, etc. You must have a doctor agree with you, though. Otherwise, your state’s Workers’ Compensation Board might turn you down.
How Can You Find a Doctor Who Agrees with You?
You must find a mental health professional and explain your stress, anxiety, or anything else that’s bothering you. You should lay out your situation truthfully. If your job caused your breakdown or a similar mental health issue, the doctor should believe you.
If you try deceiving them, though, they might realize it. They may feel you want workers’ comp without a legitimate medical reason.
If so, they won’t help when you try to collect it. They will report your deception, and you might face fraud charges. The state takes that very seriously, so don’t make this mistake.
If you have legitimate mental health struggles and blame your job, you might get workers’ comp. Perhaps you will feel better in time and return to work. In rare cases, you might have a complete breakdown and need workers’ comp for years from job-related stress.
