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Choosing A Better Lawyer

When you are hurt in a car accident, there are a lot of things that run through your mind, but most people aren't focused on suing the other driver or their own insurance company. Unfortunately, because of the way the world works, most people find that they are given far less of a settlement than they deserve, especially if the accident wasn't their fault. I wanted to create a blog all about choosing a better accident and personal injury attorney, so that you can prevent longterm financial ramifications from your accident. I know that a lot of these tips helped me along my journey.

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Choosing A Better Lawyer

Two Workers' Comp Stages

by Willard Chambers

When you get injured at work, you can depend on your employer's insurance coverage to assist you with several types of benefits. Not only can you get your work-related medical expenses totally covered, but you can also get paid a portion of your salary while you take care of your injury and recuperate at home. The types of benefits you get depend on where you are in the workers' compensation process. Read on to learn more about the two stages of your workers' comp coverage:

Temporary Benefits

This is the initial stage of your injury and spans the time between your injury or illness until you either return to work or not. In most cases, you will be able to heal from your injury during this phase. The time that you spend in this first stage depends on your injury and on the historical data the workers' comp insurance carrier has available. For example, if your injury falls into a certain category, you can expect to continue to receive benefits for a given period of time. More serious injuries are given more time.

Permanent Benefits

Some injuries can take longer to heal, but sooner or later you may be asked to participate in a special type of medical examination that will give the workers' comp insurance carrier more information about your injury. This exam is done by a doctor employed by the insurance carrier, and the results of it could signal a big change in your benefit level. If the doctor decides that your injury just needs more time to heal before you return to work, you will continue at the same level of benefits. However, you may be starting to feel the negative effects of not being able to draw your regular salary. If the doctor determines that your injury is not likely to improve any further, you are said to be at maximum medical improvement. This is the same thing as having a permanent injury.

Understanding Permanent Injuries

You may have a full, 100% disability or you may be only partially disabled. In some cases, you may be offered rehabilitative training to get you prepared to do other types of work, if appropriate. In other cases, you may be too disabled to do any type of work.

Seek Help

Having a permanent work-related injury might call for a lifetime of need, so you can anticipate some hard negotiations with the carrier for the best settlement possible. Talk to a workers' comp attorney to help ensure that you will continue to have your needs met with either an adequate lump sum settlement or a structured settlement for your injuries. 

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