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What To Do If You’re Hurt or Disabled
By Karen Hambleton, Esq.
If you have been injured on the job, or suffer from a non-work-related injury or chronic disease or illness, you are probably wondering how you are going to pay your bills. Several benefit programs exist that can help you cope financially with injuries or illnesses until you are able to get back on your feet. An experienced and knowledgeable attorney can help protect your rights and maximize your benefits. The following is a brief overview of these programs.
Workers’ Compensation
All employers in Massachusetts are required to carry workers’ compensation insurance for their employees. If you are injured on the job, you should immediately report your injury to your supervisor and seek appropriate medical care for your injury. Make sure when you go to the doctor or the hospital emergency room that you tell the medical provider that you were injured at work. Always provide a complete and accurate history of your injury, and do not accept assurances from your employer that your bills will be taken care of so long as you do not report the injury as work-related. You can be sure that all your medical needs will not be met if you agree to an unscrupulous request to keep the injury from being properly reported.
After the injury is reported, your employer is required to notify its workers’ compensation insurer of the injury. Upon notification, the insurance company must send a response to you in the mail within fourteen days about whether it will pay or deny your claim. If the insurance company decides to pay your claim, you will begin to receive weekly benefits checks, and your medical bills will be covered. Workers’ compensation benefits are not open-ended, however, and at some point it is likely that the insurance company will notify you that it is stopping your benefits, even if you still remain unable to work. When that happens, you will need the assistance of an attorney experienced in dealing with the workers’ compensation system. A good attorney will be glad to answer your questions at no cost to you.
If the insurance company denies your claim from the outset, you will also need legal assistance in navigating the workers’ compensation system. I am available at my office or by cell phone to help you and your family at what is sure to be a stressful time in your life.
Social Security Disability
Deductions from your paychecks are paid into the Social Security system for your future retirement. But did you also know that you are covered under the same system if you cannot work or expect to be out of work for a year or longer? The Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program is a federal benefit available to individuals who have paid into the system and who are injured or ill for twelve months or longer. The program pays a monthly benefit to the disabled individual, and may include an additional benefit for dependent children. There is no requirement that the disability be related to a workplace injury or illness, but you must meet certain rules and regulations established by the Social Security Administration. Attorneys such as myself who are experienced in Social Security law can help you with your needs and questions.
Public Employee Disability Retirement
State, municipal, and county employees pay into a different retirement system than the Social Security system. If you are one of these types of workers and you become disabled, you may be able to apply for ordinary or accidental disability retirement. Again, as with workers’ compensation and Social Security disability, an experienced attorney can answer your questions and assist you with the application process. Help is just a phone call away.
Long- or Short-Term Disability Insurance
You may also be paying premiums for a private short- or long-term disability insurance policy. These benefits can also help fill the breach when you unexpectedly become unable to work. Make sure you have on hand a policy handbook and information about how to contact the insurance company when the need arises. Often, as time passes, sound legal advice may become necessary to help protect your rights.
Karen Hambleton, Esq.
Karen S. Hambleton, Esq., has over fourteen years of experience helping clients with workers’ compensation, Social Security disability, public employee retirement and related legal issues. She can also help you win unemployment benefits if you have been ufairly denied. For the cost of a phone call, she can help you with all your legal needs in these areas. 34 Welby Road, # 103
Two convenient locations:
New Bedford, Massachusetts 02745
Off Route 140, Exit 5
420 Washington Street, Suite 400
Braintree, Massachusetts 02184
Please call her at 508-207-0282, or 781-848-8886 for a free consultation or visit:
www.hambletonlaw.com
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