For someone who has been injured while working in a construction site, workers' compensation laws may affect any subsequent legal claim.

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This will depend on his or her employment situation as well as the extent to which the employer is responsible for injuries.

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Workers' compensation is a group of laws that outline specific benefits entitled to an injured employee. This includes medical expenses and lost wages. It is a vital safety net for workers who are victims of construction accidents. Under the law, each business should have workers' comp insurance to cover its workers. Filing a worker’s compensation claim is the same as filing any other insurance claim. It is a request for benefits rather than a lawsuit against the employer.

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The injured worker has the right to all the necessary treatment for relieving or curing the effects of the injuries. All prescriptions, medical bills and roundtrip mileage to any medical care providers are included under medical treatment compensation.

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Also, if the worker has to take some time off due to medical reasons related to the construction accident, he or she may be entitled to temporary disability payments. This would offer partial compensation for lost wages.

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Once the physician has documented an inability to do work, the first temporary disability check should get to the worker within a few weeks.

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If the injury prevents the employee from returning to the former job, help in acquiring another form of employment may be included in the benefits.

A partial income is usually distributed during vocational rehabilitation, just like temporary disability. Although, the vocational rehabilitation usually has a set maximum monetary limit. This can be substituted by an offer of a different or modified work from the employer.

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For more information on how to get workers' compensation coverage, or to get a free consultation from one of our Grand Rapids construction accident attorneys, click here or call us at (616) 363-7000.