Some work-related injuries and illnesses can be so painful that you feel you cannot soldier on and put on a brave face every single day. In the end, you are not doing yourself, your family or the employer you work for any good if you attempt to keep this up. As long as you are working for a reasonable employer, you will most likely be able to recover any medical costs associated with your work-related health issue, as well as a reasonable proportion of any lost earnings. This is called workers’ compensation, and most employers throughout the U.S. have insurance that covers it. Talk to an attorney if you need to know more. Company Profile - Fedex Fedex is a very large U.S.-based company that collects and delivers anything from small packets to large parcels worldwide. There are Fedex offices and depots all over the world; as one of the world’s largest shipping companies, FedEx is very well-known. Originally known as Federal Express in the twentieth century, Fedex is one of the oldest of the currently operating international courier companies. Its expansion mirrors the rise of air transport and globalized business. Fedex employs several hundred thousand employees. Many of them work in offices and depots answering the phone, arranging to pick up parcels, administering their delivery route, and taking the items to the final addressee. A Pinched Nerve May Mean Several Weeks off Work Pinched nerves are very painful experiences. They can be caused without having an accident as a catalyst—in fact, they can happen simply because someone has been sitting or standing in one place for too long. They are typical office or warehouse injuries that happen while on the job. The first step of treatment for a pinched nerve involves finding the nerve and working out what is compressing it. It might need x-rays, scans, and minor surgery. It is not an injury that will clear up on its own. Drugs, e.g. painkillers, can keep the pain down for a while, but they tend to diminish in real value fairly quickly as the body acclimates to the dosage. After treatment, the best advice is to rest at home. The doctor will recommend how long to stay away from work and his or her recommendation will be important when it comes to calculating the value of a workers’ comp claim for a pinched nerve. Value of a Pinched Nerve Claim Workers’ compensation insurance is quite specific about what it covers. It does not cover non-economic damages, like the psychological or emotional effects of an injury, for instance. Medical costs are covered, which is why it is important to document all of your medical costs. That means the full cost of all visits to the doctor, tests like scans and x-rays, surgery, medication and transport costs. It is likely that this component of a pinched nerve claim is the most important. In addition to medical costs, lost earnings must be claimed for. This is a simple multiple of the normal hourly or weekly wage by the number of hours worked by the recovery period and then reduced by a percentage. A sample calculation is shown below for a Fedex delivery driver, but it must be emphasized that this is totally hypothetical. For a Fedex driver earning $18 an hour, working a 45 hour week, who is off work recovering from a pinched nerve for four weeks, the claim would be worth $18 x 45 x 4 x 0.67. That amounts to $2,170. This amount is in addition whatever the medical costs were, and that total is the value of your FedEx workers’ comp claim. A Workers’ Compensation Attorney Can Advise You About Claim Issues If you are getting bogged down trying to deal with a workers’ comp claim, it may be best to talk to a workers’ comp attorney. The attorney can give initial advice about the suitability of a claim and suggest the sort of documentation you should have available to support your claim. If you can’t handle the claim all by yourself, the attorney can do this on your behalf. *Disclaimer The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be construed as legal advice. If you file a claim against Fedex, or any other party, you may not be entitled to any compensation.
