Have you been injured at work? Do you have an injury that is making your job difficult to perform? You might be wondering how to handle working with your injury.
What are your rights as a worker?
You’ve probably wondered if your injury is covered under workers’ compensation or disability? How are they different?
Let’s take a closer look at workers comp vs disability. Read on to understand what each is and how your injury might be covered under one of these benefits.
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What is Workers Compensation?
In most states, companies are required to carry something called worker’s compensation insurance. This insurance protects the company in the event an employee becomes injured while performing their job.
If you have been injured on the job, first you should seek medical treatment as quickly as possible. Your employer might want you to see a specific doctor who works with the worker’s comp insurance they have.
You want to see a doctor who specializes in worker’s comp cases like New York Workers’ Compensation Doctors. They are familiar with the worker’s comp process and the necessary paperwork you would need to complete.
Workers comp insurance can cover a worker’s medical costs related to the injury. In some cases, it can reimburse workers who miss work because of their injury.
What is Disability?
A disability is a kind of injury or ailment that prevents a worker from being able to perform their job. The disability could be from a work-related injury or from something that happened outside of work.
As part of an individual’s insurance plans, disability insurance is often available. This would allow the employee to be protected with benefits and wages if they had an injury or ailment that prevented them from working.
How are Disability and Workers Compensation Different?
While both are insurance plans, there are a few key differences between disability and worker’s insurance.
First, is who carries the insurance. In the worker’s comp cases, the employer is responsible for the insurance. They must carry and provide the information immediately to any worker who is injured on the job.
In a disability case, the worker is responsible for carrying the insurance to protect themselves in the event they are unable to work.
In both cases, the benefits can provide medical coverage and lost wages because of an injury or illness that prevents them from working. In worker’s comp cases, the injury or illness would need to have happened while on the job. In disability, injury or illness would prevent them from doing their job.
Understanding the Difference Between Workers Comp Vs Disability
The truth is no worker wants to find themselves in a position where they can’t work and don’t get paid. Both worker’s comp insurance, provided by the employer, and disability insurance, paid for by the employee, protect workers.
Workers comp vs disability coverage may come down to how you became injured.
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