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Port St. Lucie Workers Compensation Lawyer

Bringing You Assistance and Advice for Filing Workers’ Comp after an Injury on the Job

Most Employees Need Workers’ Compensation to Recover, but Filing Isn’t Always Easy

Port St. Lucie is fortunate to have many enterprises and opportunities for its industrious locals. Yet, even the best job can result in accidental strains, injuries, and work-related illnesses.

Information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows that over 222,000 work-related injuries occurred in the state of Florida in 2010, the last year available for such information. 53,400 of these injuries caused missed days of work, and 47,400 injuries were so severe that the individual had to transfer to another job or stop working in certain occupations.

Any time workers in Port St. Lucie are injured on-the-job, they will likely have the opportunity to file for a workers’ compensation insurance claim. This claim provides money to pay for their medical bills, rehabilitation, and a percentage of their lost income.

Workers’ comp laws offer broad protections for injured workers, but they do not mean that the money needed to pay medical bills is always freely available. Insurers have the right to deny claims or dispute the value of claims, often leaving injured workers with too little to cover all of their injury-related expenses.

Hoskins, Turco, Lloyd & Lloyd has worked with countless clients over the past 30 years in the exact situation. We know the terror you can feel when you are missing work and accumulating healthcare costs without knowing how you will pay for it all. That’s why our Port St. Lucie workers’ compensation lawyers fight on behalf of injured workers. We want to give their claim or appeal a fighting chance at success.

If you have been hurt at work or have recently been denied the full amount of workers’ comp coverage that you need, know that there is a Port St. Lucie workers’ comp lawyer willing to take your case.

Schedule your free case review to find out more about what your next steps might be and how others like you have been able to get their claims through. To schedule a free, no-obligation consultation, simply call 866-460-1990 or contact us online.

Types of Work-Related Injuries, Accidents, and Illnesses Eligible for Workers’ Comp Claims in Port St. Lucie

A broad range of employers and injury types fall under Florida workers’ comp laws. Most employers that have four or more employees, including non-exempt business owners, are required by law to carry a workers’ comp policy. Construction businesses need to have only one employee to require workers’ comp, whereas agricultural businesses can be exempt if they have less than 6 regular employees and/or 12 seasonal workers.

As for injuries that might be eligible for workers’ comp in Port St. Lucie, they can be nearly anything that is directly related to “the course and the scope of employment.” This language includes injuries that happen in a single event, such as a fall at work, or injuries that result from repetitive work tasks, such as a hernia.

Illnesses may also be eligible for a claim if they were directly caused by work duties or exposures to chemicals and other substances known to cause health conditions. A welder who contracts pneumonia after breathing metal vapors, for instance, could potentially file for his treatment costs and partial lost earnings through workers’ comp.

An injury or accident need not even happen on the job site if it is directly related to work. If you are using a vehicle to run an errand for your boss and get hurt in a car accident, you may potentially be able to file under workers’ compensation. This rule can even apply when you are out of state!

Certain injuries may not be eligible for workers’ comp claims, though, including:

• Injuries that occur while the employee is under the influence of drugs or alcohol
• Injuries that occur as part of a scheme to “knowingly or intentionally” defraud workers’ comp
• Intentional or deliberate injuries
• Injuries that can have 50% or more of their cause attributed to a pre-existing injury or condition
• “Mental or nervous injuries”
• Injuries covered by other forms of duty-related compensation, such as the Jones Act or the Federal Employer’s Liability Act

Some claims may be reduced by 25% if the employee is found to have elected to not use personal protective equipment they have been provided and trained to use.

Denied Workers’ Compensation Claims in Port St. Lucie

A surprisingly large portion of workers’ comp claims are denied or reduced by insurance adjusters. Reasons for denial include disputing that the injury was work-related or that the injury was not as severe as reported.

Workers have a higher chance of having their claim scrutinized or denied if they wait too long to file a claim. Generally, all claims should be filed within 30 days of the injury event or the first moment the employee noticed the injury. The injury should also be reported to a supervisor and documented. Most workers’ comp policies then require individuals to seek medical care through a selection of preferred providers.

Failing to abide by any of these terms could result in a claim being rejected on the basis that the worker cannot provide strong enough evidence that his or her injury occurred at work. An insurer may also suspect that the injury was intentional or related to the employee’s own negligence rather than any sort of duty-related risk.

Hoskins, Turco, Lloyd & Lloyd has handled many such cases for injured workers in St. Lucie County. Our Port St. Lucie injury attorneys can help those with rejected claims. By looking to case law, getting testimony from experts, and using strong evidence to document both the cause and extent of your injury, we give your denial appeal a high chance of turning around in your favor.

Work with a Port St. Lucie Workers’ Compensation Lawyer

If your workers’ comp claim is being denied or disputed, remember that you still have rights. An experienced Port St. Lucie workers’ comp lawyer can help you assert those rights using the strongest facts and evidence available.

Learn more about how you can give your claim a better chance to succeed during an absolutely free case evaluation. You can start the process of working with a workers’ comp attorney in Port St. Lucie who believes in your right to get the money you need to recover.

Schedule your free, no-obligation consultation now when you call 866-460-1990 or contact us online.