Workers’ compensation which is also, in its shortened form, called Workmans comp, or workers comp is a type of insurance that is mandated by law in most states and countries. It means that you will be given replacement of your wages in the event that you are injured while you are at work and that medical benefits will be forthcoming in order to assure that you can receive treatment for your injuries.

While the various plans of medical benefits are different according to the state, and also dependent upon what type of work you do in some cases, your right to sue your employer may also be bartered away in return for your workers compensation rights, although this is not strictly true.

Workers comp of New Jersey makes provisions for the injured New Jersey worker to be paid a weekly stipend in place of the wages that he or she might have earned had they not been injured. It will pay your wages as well as medical bills while you are away from work. It will also pay benefits to the dependents of workers who are injured or killed while they were employed.

Workers comp does not always pay and in fact, in some cases, the benefits that you are entitled to may be denied to you and your rights must be asserted in a court case. These New Jersey workers comp cases are becoming slightly more numerous as companies attempt to lower payments and to assert their own rights, particularly in an economy which has suffered some recession in recent months.

Your rights under workers compensation laws are by no means guaranteed and some companies will attempt to pay less than you may have coming to you, while others will seek to deny workers compensation claims. Some notable reasons why these may be denied is that companies claim that the workers were not injured on the job, but may have arrived at work with an injury, or may have injured themselves at another activity.

When you are being denied your rightful claim to workers compensation, your best advocate will be an attorney who knows the workers compensation laws of your state. Workers compensation claims and laws will vary widely from state to state. New Jersey workers compensation law for example, is specific to the state of New Jersey and those laws may or may not be mirrored in another state. Howard Batt, attorney, is conversant in the New Jersey workers compensation laws and may be able to help you win the benefits that you are entitled to.

Nearly everyone who has a computer knows what a social media site is, but were you aware that your surfing and posting on social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter can–and actually has–undermined many different workers compensation claims.

That’s correct, Facebook can undermine your compensation claim.

Just as you’re aware of Facebook and other social media websites, so too are the attorneys and staff that are working on the side of the insurance company who may not believe that your workers compensation claim is legitimate. Facebook is an open book for those attorneys and staff to peruse unless you do something about your privacy settings.

How can Facebook and other sites hurt your workers compensation claim? When you create a profile on those places, you’re often not up on the settings that permit you to only let friends see your profile and your images. You are connecting for social reasons, but attorneys and others are connecting to investigate the things that you place on your page. Your facebook profile may have a recent image of you just attending a picnic or playing a game at a family gathering… that photo may just be enough to assure that you’re not able to attain the compensation that you deserve. Even if the photo is one that shows you standing on the sidelines, it can be inferred from the photo that you are participating in the game and that your injury claim is not an honest one.

USE PRIVACY settings on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites to assure that your profile and your photos are visible only to those who are not actively seeking to deny you a claim for workers compensation. Pay attention to what your settings actually are and that you have your profile set to family and friends only. Lock down your online privacy on social media, or better still, until your workers compensation claim is decided, don’t post on social media sites and ask your friends to refrain from posting images and comments about you.

Though most people know what workers compensation is, they don’t realize that they could be denied a claim or that they’re not always entitled to an award from workers compensation. It isn’t an inherent right, but has to be determined and the rules for determination are often circuitous. Real effort on your part may be required to obtain the award. The road to that award will be easier when you have somebody to help you to go through the process.

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Under workers compensation laws, can an employer refuse the employee medical attention at time of injury? The answer to that question is no, they may not deny you treatment, but you are the one who is responsible for making sure that you get it in some cases. Read the rest of this entry »

We’ve all got concerns when it comes to being injured at work. Your work is your livelihood and what you require in order to assure the financial future of your family. Knowing your rights when it comes to workers compensation is important. If you are injured at work, it pays to know something about the laws of the state in which you reside. Read the rest of this entry »