Workers’ compensation benefits are an important part of any worker’s employment, as they guarantee safety and benefits during unforeseen times. These include medical bills, lost wages, and other forms of compensation given to the worker in case they experience some sort of workplace injury.
However, to get the benefits, you must ensure that you are eligible for compensation. A vast majority of workers are covered under workers’ compensation schemes in their state, but not all. To safeguard your future, you must be a part of this scheme. With this, you can get in touch with an Ontario workers compensation attorney and receive the benefits, in case you get into a workplace accident or have a workplace injury.
Today, we will discuss in detail the eligibility to qualify for workers’ compensation, so that you can understand whether you are eligible or not.
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Eligibility Criteria
While the criteria may differ from state to state, below are some common requirements that an employee must qualify to acquire compensation benefits-
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Employment
You need to be an active employee of a company that offers workers’ compensation insurance to its employees. This may not cover you if you work under independent contractors, or are a volunteer.
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Work-Related Injury
To get the benefits, your injury/illness should be work-related. It means, that the injury must occur while performing job duties, or should be caused by work environment/conditions.
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Time of Reporting
It is to be noted here that you can get compensation only if you report the accident in time. There is a specified timeframe for reporting the accident/injury, and reporting after that period may lead to denial of workers’ compensation benefits.
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Pre-existing Conditions
If you had some sort of pre-existing condition which worsened during a work-related activity, it may or may not be covered under your workers’ benefits insurance. So you need to be sure of that while reading the insurance documents.
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No Intentional Misconduct
In most cases, workers’ compensation benefits are not available if the injury or illness resulted from the employee’s intentional misconduct or if the employee was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the incident.
Parting Thoughts
When you have all the necessary help from an expert attorney and you match the eligibility criteria, you can apply for worker’s compensation. However, you might need to indulge in a legal battle if the insurance company or the employer doesn’t give you the benefits easily, and thus you must have an expert by your side to help you get your compensation seamlessly!