While getting injured at the workplace is a nightmare that many pray against, it often happens, which explains why you should be familiar with the whole process. It is common for people to fail to get their compensation because of minor mistakes.
Texas is the second-largest economy in the nation and home to various companies. So it is not strange to see an independent streak as far as workers’ compensation insurance is concerned. While texas workers compensation carries several benefits, including medical expenses, lost wages, and physical therapy for employees who get sick or injured at the workplace, Texas laws allow employers to opt out. Since Texas law makes workers’ compensation insurance optional for employers, employees must find out if their employers carry workers’ compensation insurance. It is also prudent to know the name of the employers’ provider.
Rights and Responsibilities
Employers who wish not to carry workers’ compensation insurance from private insurance companies are responsible for carrying the burden in case an employee gets sick or injured while at the workplace. Such employers are expected to apply to the Texas Department of Insurance. Under Texas laws, an injured employee has the right to income benefits if they can meet the stipulated requirements. The employer is responsible for providing the employee with all the information that they may need. For instance, the employer should tell the employee the network of hospitals that they can use to get the treatment benefits.
Benefits of Workers’ Compensation in Texas
It is essential to understand some of the benefits that an employee is entitled to in Texas. Having this information at your fingertips can help an employee make the right decisions. In Texas, workers comp insurance covers income benefits, medical benefits, impairment income benefits, and lifetime income benefits.
Medical Benefits
The workers’ comp insurance is supposed to pay for any expenses accruing as a result of treating an employee who got sick or injured at the workplace. An employers’ insurance pays for all the expenses arising from such a treatment. In such situations, the employer should be clear on whether it is necessary to visit a doctor from a particular network of hospitals.
Income Benefits
The income benefits are supposed to cover for some of the money that the employee will lose due to an injury or sickness that they developed while at the workplace. The amount that the employee gets is based on the amount that they were getting before the injury or sickness.
Supplemental Income Benefits
The supplemental income benefits are the amount that injured workers who got permanent damages and cannot return to work get. In addition, those employees earning less than they should due to permanent damages caused by an injury/sickness at the workplace are also entitled to this type of compensation. It is imperative to note that the recipients are supposed to apply for this amount after three months.
Lifetime Income Benefits
The lifetime income benefits refer to the amount of money paid to employees who sustain critical injuries, including brain injuries, blindness, loss of two limbs, etc. This amount should be over 75% of the weekly amount that the employee was receiving before the injury.
Check out more info at https://qcare.org.
