Missouri workers may not realize that they may be able to offset the cost of medical treatment when they have been injured at work if their employer has insurance to cover workplace injuries and illness. Not every employer does have insurance, but if you have had an accident at work you should certainly ask about workers’ compensation. If it is not available yet you think that your accident was avoidable, you should contact a workers’ compensation attorney to find out where you stand. You may still be able to file a claim, even if it is a personal injury claim to help you through the recovery process. Employment in Missouri There are over 2,700,000 people employed in the state of Missouri. They do thousands of different jobs, but there are a number of occupations that employ the most workers. The Missouri figures for employment, supplied by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics for May 2016, show a very similar pattern as in many other states. The 5 top occupations in terms of numbers of people employed in them are as follows: Office and administrative support jobs (448,350 employed) Sales and related occupations (281,780 employed) Food preparation and serving related jobs (264,430 employed) Production jobs (197,140 employed) Transportation and material moving jobs (184,360 employed) What these statistics do not reveal is how many people work in each workplace. This is relevant to workers’ compensation as Missouri employers must have insurance when they employ a certain number of employees. Workers’ Comp Insurance Requirements for Missouri Employers Workers’ compensation in Missouri is compulsory for the majority of employers in the state. It is a no-fault system of compensation, meaning that even if a worker is at fault, he or she should still receive compensation if injured. One of the benefits of workers’ compensation insurance from the employer’s point of view is that it prevents workers from filing much more potentially expensive lawsuits if they are injured because of conditions at the workplace. Missouri workers compensation covers medical expenses as long as the employee’s injury or illness occurred at work. It also covers a part of any wages that the employee might not normally get because of absence from work. They also include compensation for permanent disability if an employee cannot return to work and is unable to work due to their injury. Workers compensation in Missouri is a requirement for any employer that has 5 or more employees as well as any contractor that employs even one employee. However, this does not mean that independent contractors are covered in every circumstance. The term "employee" covers part time as well as full-time employees, temporary and permanent employees. Employers who employ agricultural or domestic employees do not need to take out insurance, but may still prefer to do so as it avoids the possibility of a private lawsuit being filed. Personal injury lawsuits may prove to be more costly in the long run than providing cover for workers’ compensation. A Workers’ Comp Attorney Can Help You With Your Claim for Compensation Hopefully, if you are injured at work or become ill because of your job, you should be able to apply for workers’ compensation because your employer has insurance to cover this eventuality. However, sometimes the claim process is held up or is denied. Your employer may be uninsured or the payment authorized seems inadequate. These are all good reasons why you might turn to a workers’ comp attorney to provide advice and legal assistance.
