Being injured at work can lead to serious financial hardship due to mounting medical bills and lost wages. Fortunately, workers’ compensation insurance is designed to provide benefits to employees who experience an injury or illness while performing their job duties. However, the system can be complicated for injured workers to understand. To help clear up some of the confusion about employee rights and their options for filing a claim, here are the answers to a few common questions about Kentucky’s workers’ compensation law.

Common Questions Regarding Workers’ Compensation

Who Is Eligible to Receive Benefits?

The majority of employees in Kentucky qualify to receive workers’ compensation benefits as long as they can prove their injury or illness occurred as a result of their job duties. Specifically, this includes full-time, part-time, seasonal, and temporary employees as well as minors, and state and local government employees. Depending on the nature of their work, some independent contractors are also eligible for benefits.

What Injuries Are Covered?

Typically, any occupation-related illness or physical injury is covered by workers’ compensation insurance. This extends to injuries that develop from repetitive motion and take longer to produce symptoms, such as carpal tunnel and degenerative disc disease. Injuries caused by exposure to asbestos, chemicals, and coal dust are also covered, as are psychiatric injuries that can be tied to a physical impairment.

What Types of Benefits Are Available?

Contingent upon eligibility, injured employees in Kentucky may receive a variety of benefits. The different kinds of benefits available are temporary total disability, permanent disability, death benefits, reasonable and necessary medical treatment, and mileage to and from doctor appointments. The exact type and amount you collect will be based on the severity of your injury, your pre-injury wages, and how the state’s law applies to your claim.

How Long Does an Injured Worker Have to File a Claim? 

In Kentucky, there’s a two-year statute of limitations on filing most workers’ compensation claims. The time starts from the date the injury took place, or in the case of repetitive motion injuries, two years from the date the condition was discovered. If the injury is the result of being exposed to the AIDS virus, the deadline may be extended to five years. Also, for some occupational diseases, employees have three years from the last exposure to file.

If you’ve experienced a work injury, let The Curt Davis Law Office help pursue the benefits you deserve. This trusted legal team offers decades of experience handling complex workers’ compensation cases and has earned an impressive track record of success while representing clients throughout Kentucky’s Pulaski, Wayne, McCreary, Clinton, and Casey counties. These professionals will walk you through the claims process step by step and aggressively advocate on your behalf for the financial support you need. Call (606) 678-2525 to schedule a consultation or visit their website for more information on their services.