Understand how workers’ compensation works in the state of Missouri.
With some minor exceptions, Missouri workers’ compensation law provides coverage for all workers injured on the job while working within Missouri. The Workers’ Compensation Division of the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations administers Missouri workers’ compensation law. The most important thing you can do is talk to a Workers’ Compensation attorney call Northland Injury Law at 816-400-4878.
What Are the Main Types of Workers’ Compensation Benefits?
Workers’ comp pays for three main types of benefits: medical treatment, temporary wage replacement while you are off work, and compensation for any remaining permanent impairment or disfigurement.
- Reimbursement for Medical Treatment
If your workers’ compensation claim is allowed, your employer or its workers’ compensation insurance carrier is required to pay for all of your medical treatment necessary to treat your work-related injury or occupational disease. This includes doctor visits, hospitalization, medical devices (for example, canes or wheelchairs), prescription medication, and physical therapy. You should not pay a bill for any claim-related medical treatment. However, your employer has the right to choose the medical provider and is not required to pay for any unauthorized or unapproved treatment you may obtain on your own.
Your employer may direct that you receive treatment from a specific physician or health care facility. If you want treatment from a different provider, you may do so at your own cost.
While you are recovering, your employer may require that you undergo an independent medical examination to address your progress and assess your current treatment plan. If you believe you are physically unable to return to work, your employer may also demand that you submit to vocational testing to assess your
physical ability to work and what jobs you may be able to perform.
- Lost Wages
If you are unable to return to work due to your work-related injury or occupational disease for some period of time, you may be eligible to receive temporary total disability benefits. These benefits are two-thirds of your gross average weekly wage at the time of injury but cannot be more than $911.27 (as of July 2016).
Alternatively, if you return to work for fewer hours or a light-duty job due to your physical conditions, you will receive temporary partial disability benefits. Temporary partial disability benefits are two-thirds of the reduction in your wages.
These benefits continue until you are able to earn your normal wages, or when a doctor determines your industrially related condition has attained maximum medical improvement (MMI). Maximum medical improvement means your condition will not likely get any better, even though you may not have entirely returned to your pre-injury state.
- Permanent Disability
Once a doctor determines you have reached maximum medical improvement, your doctor or another doctor will assess whether you have sustained any permanent disability resulting from your injury or illness. If you are permanently and totally disabled, meaning you cannot work in any capacity, you will continue to receive benefits at your temporary total disability rate for as long as your disability continues.
Talk to an Attorney
A Missouri attorney experienced in workers’ compensation can be an invaluable asset to your case, especially if you were seriously injured and cannot go back to work. You should strongly consider talking to a worker’s comp attorney if you need to appeal a denial of your claim and/or your injuries are severe or complex. For a more comprehensive list of all the questions you might have about workers’ compensation, and for a free consultation, please call (816)-400-4878. If you have further questions about your case, do not hesitate to reach out to us by the phone number, through the contact form, or even with the live chat option listed on our site!
