What is covered by Worker’s Compensation?

Experienced Grand Rapids attorneys pursue recovery after your on-the-job accident

Workers’ compensation pays injured workers for lost wages, medical treatments and vocational training. You are not required to prove that your employer’s negligence was responsible for your injuries as you would in a personal injury lawsuit. Instead, your claim is administered by Michigan’s Workers’ Compensation Agency (WCA) and paid through a special insurance program.

The workplace injury lawyers at Schroder Law, P.C. can advise you about whether you are eligible for workers’ compensation benefits, the amount to which you are entitled and the process for maximizing your recovery. As a former workers’ compensation magistrate with more than 30 years of experience, attorney Barry Schroder is familiar with the inner workings of the WCA and the complex regulatory laws that apply.

What is considered a workplace injury?

Michigan workers’ compensation laws only cover injuries and illnesses that occur during and in the course of employment. Usually, the workplace accident that caused an injury is easily identified — such as the malfunctioning of industrial machinery, a fall from a construction site or exposure to toxic chemicals. Some situations are not as cut and dried, however — for example, an auto accident that occurs while you are driving between sales appointments or an injury resulting from a colleague’s horseplay at a holiday party. Your employer may dispute that these less-obvious events are covered, but our Grand Rapids workers’ comp attorneys persistently advocate for you by showing their direct connection to your job.

Disability benefits

Eligibility for disability benefits requires you to prove that the workplace injury or disease limits your earning capacity in work that is suitable to your qualifications and training. The agency considers several important factors, including whether your disability has hindered your ability to earn the same level of income as you previously did and if you are willing to accept reasonable work accommodations. We thoroughly discuss your options for disability benefits — including your entitlement to Social Security Disability.