Maybe you don’t need to take any time off of work and worry about seeming like a troublemaker if you file a workers’ compensation claim. Perhaps you feel like a diagnosis by your primary care physician rather than a major work injury would make it hard to get benefits anyway.
There are many reasons why people would choose not to pursue a Kentucky workers’ compensation claim despite having a medical issue that obviously relates to their employment. Especially when the company already offers healthcare benefits, its employees with job-related medical issues may feel like they can just use their health insurance instead of filing a workers’ compensation claim.
However, there’s a very good reason to get benefits through workers’ compensation rather than health insurance coverage.
Workers’ compensation covers more
The simplest reason an employee who already has decent health coverage might choose to file a workers’ compensation claim is to avoid expensive patient costs. Most health insurance policies impose deductibles that require a worker to pay for thousands of dollars in care before insurance starts paying. There may also be a coinsurance rate that makes a worker pay a flat percentage of their final medical bill.
Workers’ compensation does not have any patient responsibility costs, which means that you can receive care without needing to pay a large amount of money, like a $20 copay at each of your three weekly physical therapy sessions. At least until you reach maximum medical improvement for your condition, you can count on workers’ compensation to fully cover your treatment expenses. Even then, if your symptoms return, you can potentially get benefits again in the future.
You will protect your right to request accommodations
The worse your injury is, the more likely it is to affect your job performance or income. When you file a workers’ compensation claim and notify your employer of a job-related medical issue, they will have more reason to accommodate you if you need altered job responsibilities or an unpaid leave of absence. As an added bonus, you may also qualify for disability benefits if you receive reduced pay or need time off while recovering.
Pursuing workers’ compensation benefits can help those already coping with medical symptoms reduce the financial repercussions of a job-related injury.