Getting hurt while working is a catastrophic event. Taking care of your bills, feeding your family, and paying your injury-related medical expenses can rapidly become a bleak predicament. If you’re injured in the workplace, you may qualify to receive workers’ compensation benefits from your employer. For those who apply, workers’ compensation benefits can help workers injured on the job. It can cover necessary medical costs, prescriptions, surgeries, therapy, and follow-up visits to the doctor. Moreover, the workers’ compensation policy likely has a list of approved doctors who can see injured workers free of charge. For those who are unable to perform their job either temporarily or permanently, workers’ compensation may help them retain a portion of their wages. You may also qualify for Social Security Disability. Loss of Hearing Our sense of sound is important. Our ears allow us to hear the voices of others as well as other important sounds. Losing your sense of hearing can severely impair your ability to work. If you work at a factory or as a food services worker, you rely on hearing in order to know about emergencies and to communicate with your coworkers. In fact, most occupations have a system of alarms or intercoms to allow for auditory warning of disaster. Were you to lose your hearing, your ability to respond to such alarms would become inhibited. Many professions carry the risk of hearing loss. Flight crews can sustain hearing damage thanks to the amount of noise generated by a plane’s takeoff. Ambulance drivers can go deaf from the repeated exposure to blaring sirens. The list goes on, and workers’ compensation protects all workers regardless of occupation. Pain and Suffering Workers are likely to believe that they hold an entitlement to receive pain and suffering through workers’ compensation. Regrettably, pain and suffering isn’t paid through workers’ compensation. Instead, workers hurt on the job are qualified for benefits and services that can greatly assist them in adapting to their deafness or hearing damage, as well as help them return to work. Help with Medical Expenses If you’re injured on the job, it is a strong possibility that workers’ compensation can oblige you by assisting with your medical expenses. This may include pain management medicine, hearing aids, and even cochlear implants to restore some of your hearing. Payment of Wages If you find yourself unable to continue your job while you’re healing, workers’ compensation can pay a portion of your lost wages. If you’re completely disabled, you are likely eligible to recover a portion of your lost wages for a longer period of time. Social Security Disability guarantees that you as a deaf worker will receive disability benefits and payment. Those who are deaf can receive Social Security accommodations free of charge. Job Training If your hearing damage means that you can’t work in your chosen field, you may be eligible for job training through workers’ compensation. This can help you find work and develop your skills. Get Legal Help If you’ve lost your hearing on the job, you shouldn’t face the insurance company alone. It is possible that you may unwittingly sign over your legal rights if you sign a settlement agreement. In that case, it’s possible that you’d get less than you deserve. To do what you need to do to protect your right as a disabled worker, you need to prioritize speaking to a workers’ compensation attorney. Don’t tarry. An attorney can help you protect your legal rights and deal with the insurance company on your behalf.
