What Is a Workers’ Compensation Claim in Anne Arundel County?
After sustaining an injury while working on the job, you may be considering filing for workers’ compensation benefits. If you are unsure regarding what is a workers’ compensation claim in Anne Arundel County and how to best proceed with filing a claim, an accomplished workers’ compensation attorney may be well-positioned to render assistance. A lawyer could help you get the benefits you deserve after suffering a work injury.
Understanding How Workers’ Compensation Claims Work
With rare exception, the majority of employers and businesses in the state of Maryland are required by law to carry workers’ compensation coverage. Workers’ compensation coverage is designed to compensate workers who are hurt due to their job conditions are in the course of performing their work duties. In order to file a workers’ compensation claim in Anne Arundel County, the claimant’s injury must have involved some type of work accident or happened as a result of their work conditions.
The Workers’ Compensation Claims Process
The magnitude of a workers’ compensation benefits which may be granted to an injured employee is based on the extent of their injury and whether it inflicts a temporary or permanent disability. There are five forms of workers’ compensation indemnity/wage replacement benefits in Anne Arundel County — temporary partial benefits, temporary total benefits, permanent partial benefits, permanent total benefits and vocational rehabilitation benefits. The entirety of the claimant’s bills for causally-related medical care are also paid.
Benefits would pay for the injured party’s medical bills and some of their wage loss due to time missed from work. The amount of the benefits received would increase if the workers’ injuries prevent them from returning back to their previous job duties without restrictions or hinder them from performing gainful employment at all. Workers whose injuries impede them from going back to their former position may receive vocational rehabilitation to help them find other suitable gainful employment.
Filing Requirements
The workers’ compensation claims process starts when the injured worker notifies their employer that they are hurt. Maryland Code § 9-704 states that injured workers must let their employer know they are injured no later than 10 days from the date of the incident. The notice period would be extended to 30 days if the worker dies due to the injuries they sustained. Occupational illnesses must be reported to the employer within one year from the date the worker discovers the injury, or in the case of a fatal occupational disease, the decedent’s family has one year from the date of death to tell the employer.
The mandatory employer notice period should not be confused with the deadline for workers to file a claim with the Workers’ Compensation Commission. In the case of most work-related injuries, the worker has 2 years from the date of injury or disablement to file a claim with the Workers’ Compensation Commission.
Reach Out to a Workers’ Compensation Attorney to Discuss Filing a Claim in Anne Arundel County
If you think you have a valid workers’ compensation claim, it is important to act promptly to ensure you do not lose your right to any benefits you may qualify to receive. An attorney could help you better understand what is a workers’ compensation claim in Anne Arundel County and explain what benefits may be obtainable.
To get started with your claim, call today and schedule your initial case review.