When you are unable to work due to serious illness or injury, every aspect of your life, from your finances to your medical condition, may suffer. It may take only one lost paycheck to completely turn your life upside down. If your injury was the result of a workplace accident or was otherwise acquired through your work duties, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits.

Few workers truly understand just how crucial workers’ comp benefits can be to their recovery, which is why the attorneys of Belsky, Weinberg & Horowitz, LLC have compiled some of the most common myths about workers’ compensation in Maryland.

Workers’ compensation is a complex area of the law. As workers’ compensation attorneys in Maryland, we at Belsky, Weinberg & Horowitz, LLC know that cases can easily become very complicated. It’s not uncommon for workers to miss out on some of the benefits they are entitled to under the law—simply because they were not aware of the benefits or the process of claiming them. In other situations, an employer may make the process even more difficult for an injured employee. One of the jobs of a workers’ compensation lawyer is to protect the employee if this happens.

Work-related injuries sustained outside the tangible boundaries of what was once considered the traditional office has become an increasingly hot topic within workers’ compensation law. As kitchen tables, parking lots, and laundry rooms across the country have been transformed into working spaces, employees in Maryland have rightly begun to wonder what happens when you are injured while working remotely.

For those who have been injured at work, it is a relief to know that workers’ compensation can provide help in the form of payment for lost wages or medical expenses. Nevertheless, most people who have been involved in a workers’ compensation case know that the process of claiming your benefits is not always an easy one.

When you are injured on the job, your medical information becomes legal evidence. One of the most important aspects of your workers’ compensation case is making sure that your injury is clearly and accurately documented in your medical records. Workers’ compensation exists in order to provide much-needed benefit to employees who experience injuries or diseases directly related to their work. But if your medical records, a key component of your case, are not obtained or considered, you may suffer serious consequences. This may mean that you are not able to receive the best treatment options as recommended by your doctor, or that your claim may be denied.

In the aftermath of a work-related injury, it can be discouraging to learn that your initial claim to receive workers’ compensation benefits has been denied. Fortunately, there are structures in place that allow those whose claims have been denied to take legal action. By working with an experienced lawyer through the appeal denial process, you can be confident that you are taking all the right steps toward being justly compensated.

Workers in Maryland are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits in the event they’re injured on the job. There is a system in place that determines the benefits eligibility, which is based on factors like injury severity, wage losses, and job retraining. When injuries are severe and impact a person’s ability to work at all, they may be diagnosed as permanent. It’s important to understand how permanent impairment is calculated in workers’ compensation cases, so the injured party has an idea of what they’ll receive and how they’ll maintain their health in the future.

When a worker injures themselves on the job, a workers’ compensation claim can help them recover and pay their bills while they’re waiting for a medical clearance to head back to work. Depending on the situation, however, a preexisting condition could make recovery more of a challenge. While it’s not uncommon for employers to try to reduce what they have to pay out when a workers’ comp claim involves a preexisting condition, there are state laws in place that protect workers’ rights. Let’s take a look at how preexisting conditions can enhance the value of a workers’ compensation case in Maryland.

First responders are almost always the first to arrive on the scene of an emergency. Firefighters, police officers, paramedics, and others put their lives on the line every day without giving it a second thought. While they work to save others who have been in various accidents, they could be putting their own wellbeing at risk. When a first responder is injured in Maryland, they have the right to file a workers’ compensation claim.

In addition to the traditional workers’ comp benefits, first responders are entitled to enhanced benefits because of the work they do. In order to maximize your compensation as an injured first responder, it’s important to work with an experienced law firm. At Belsky, Weinberg & Horowitz, LLC, we’re prepared to ensure you have access to the benefits you need to recover, so you can return to do what you do best—saving lives.

If you’ve sustained an injury at work and are unable to work, it’s likely you’re worried about your finances. Medical bills can pile up quickly, especially in the event of serious injuries. Fortunately, there are systems in place to help injured workers recover.

Maximizing your compensation and improving your chances of making a full recovery involves filing a claim. Most work injuries call for a workers’ compensation claim; however, there are situations where filing a personal injury claim is appropriate.

In order to understand which claim you should file after a work injury, let’s take a look at the differences between the two claims. We’ll start by breaking down workers’ compensation in Maryland.