What benefits are included in a workers’ comp claim?
Answer
The benefits that fall under the Workers’ Compensation Act, or that you are potentially entitled to if you have a claim, are:
First and foremost, a weekly check called indemnity that you receive while you’re out of work and unable to work. That weekly benefit check amounts to 62% of what you make on average.
You’re also entitled to medical benefits, which is treatment that you need to get better or to relieve you from your injuries, and the insurance company has to pay for that. That’s the second main benefit.
Third, there are forms of what we call specific compensation—money that’s paid to you in addition to your weekly check. That is typically for cases where you are disfigured by your injury in some way. For example, if you have a limp that’s now permanent because of your injury, or a burn or a scar or anything else that’s disfiguring, that is a separate payment to you under the Workers’ Compensation Act.
There’s loss of use compensation, which applies if you have a certain percentage loss of use of an appendage or an extremity—you have a right to a payment beyond just what you’re getting in your weekly check, and that comes down to a statutory formula depending on what percentage of loss you have.
You may have certain vocational services and rehabilitation benefits that you could be entitled to, and other rights like the right to reinstatement to your job and other protections under the Act. For broader guidance on how these benefits work together, you can review our RI workers comp lawyers resource or visit our denied claim appeal in RI. You may also find it helpful to explore related topics like workers’ comp payments or average weekly wage rules.
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