Don’t Take Chances With Your Workers’ Comp
Since 1915, employees injured on the job in Oklahoma have been entitled to workers’ compensation for medical care and other costs. And as surely as the sun will rise, some employers will try to evade their obligation to care for injured workers. That’s when you need a Tulsa workers’ compensation attorney.
Workers’ comp laws also require employers to advise workers of their rights to compensation for injuries on the job. Not all employers meet that obligation. Some even try to mislead workers about their workers’ compensation benefits. Typical games some employers play when a worker is injured include trying to:
- deny medical care or say workers can only get treatment from an employers’ preferred doctor;
- offer light duty work, then try assign work not allowed under medical restrictions;
- fire an injured worker, then claim they aren’t eligible for workers’ comp payments;
- offer a settlement based on their doctor’s assessment while never telling the employee that they can ask the injured employee’s own doctor to provide a rating for the injury; and
- discourage injured employees from seeking the advice of a qualified Tulsa workers’ compensation attorney.
If you’ve been on the job, you need to know your workers’ compensation rights and how to get the compensation Oklahoma law provides for injured workers.
Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Benefits
Oklahoma law guarantees injured workers a long list of important benefits:
- Medical Treatment.Employees are entitled to medical treatment until they recover as fully as possible. An employer gets to select the the first treating physician, but a worker may change physicians once to get a second opinion — even after the first doctor has released them from medical care.
- Travel Reimbursement. When an injured worker must travel to another community for medical treatment, the employer or employer’s insurer must reimburse travel costs — at the IRS mileage rate.
- Temporary Total Disability (TTD) . If the doctor determines that an injured employee is unable to work because of medical reasons while still receiving treatment, the worker may be entitled to temporary total disability payments. TTD benefits pay for the time you are off work for medical treatment. While temporarily disabled, workers are entitled to as much as 70% of your usual wage, up to a maximum of $717 per week. If you are only partially unable to work, you may still be entitled to TTD benefits if the employer doesn’t provide work you are able to perform while undergoing treatment.
- Temporary Partial Disability (TPD) . If an injured employee is able to return to work, but can only work part-time or otherwise can’t work as much after an injury, TPD benefits can pay 70% of the difference between wages before and after the on-the-job injury.
- Permanent Partial Disability (PPD) . After an injured workers reaches “maximum medical improvement” and is discharged from medical care, the worker may still be entitled to compensation for any permanent limitations or physical impairment — which is often the case if the treatment included surgery. PPD benefits may provide several hundred of dollars, $100,000 or more in compensation.
- Continuing Medical Maintenance (CMM). Injured workers are also entitled to any medical services or medications a doctor prescribes on an ongoing basis after treatment is completed — paid for by the employer or employer’s insurer.
- Vocational Rehabilitation. If an work-related injury prevents you from doing work similar to the work performed prior to the injury, workers’ compensation benefits may entitle you to job placement services and training or schooling for other types of work.
- Permanent Total Disability (PTD) . If an injured worker can’t resume paid employment after completing medical treatment and sometimes vocational rehabilitation, the worker may be entitled Permanent Total Disability benefits. PTD benefits can provide as much as 70% of their previous average wage — up to $359 per week.
- Death Benefits. If a spouse or parent was killed on the job, survivors may be entitled to benefits under the Workers’ Compensation Act — including funeral expenses, a lump sum payment, and ongoing weekly payments based on average wages paid before the accident.
Call a Tulsa Workers’ Compensation Attorney
If you have been injured at work and are not receiving the benefits to which you are entitled, seek the skill, counsel, and representation of a qualified Tulsa workers’ compensation lawyer. Get a free case evaluation from an Oklahoma workers’ compensation attorney today. Call 918-879-1681 now.
No Risk With a Contingency Fee Lawyer
When you’ve been injured on the job and an employer has denied benefits to which you are entitled, the last thing you can afford is to pay an attorney out of pocket. We know this. We only bill workers’ compensation clients based on money we collect — when we collect it. There’s nothing to lose when there’s no upfront fee for legal representation.
If you’ve been denied workers’ comp benefits to which you are entitled, contact a Tulsa workers’ compensation attorney immediately. Call to setup an initial evaluation to find out what an employer might owe you, and how get the medical care you need. Call 918-879-1681 today.
Strategy Session: Tulsa Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
To schedule your initial strategy session with an Tulsa, Okla. workers’ comp attorney regarding an on-the-job injury and Oklahoma workers’ compensation benefits, call 918-879-1681.
