After suffering a serious on-the-job injury or developing a work-related illness, you know that you need help sooner rather than later. Depending on your situation, it may be appropriate to seek a one-time, lump-sum payment rather than the payments over time that are typically associated with workers’ compensation.

Before you decide which approach is best for your situation, let’s answer some important questions about the different types of workers’ compensation benefits and whether surgery increases a workers’ comp settlement.

You were injured at work, and now you need help making ends meet and paying your medical bills. So why was your workers’ comp claim denied?

If you’re still fighting for the benefits you know you’re owed, it’s time to learn more about the role of expert witnesses in a workers’ compensation case. This could be the component that’s missing from your claim.

Key Takeaways

• An expert witness can provide knowledgeable testimony based on their unique field or profession.
• There are rules you must follow when relying on the testimony of an expert witness.
• Your workers’ compensation claim can be strengthened by an expert witness.

Do you know how to calculate workers’ compensation benefits in Maryland? The workers’ comp attorneys from Belsky & Horowitz, LLC explain the different types of workers’ compensation benefits and how to calculate them.

In our state, the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commission (WCC) recognizes several different types of benefits that qualified employees (or their family members) may be eligible to receive for an occupational injury, illness, or death.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of individuals suffer injuries while on the job in the U.S. The 2022 Annual Report published by the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commission (WCC) shows that there were 22,075 claims filed between the fiscal year July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2022 here in our state alone.

As for the source of these on-the-job injuries or occupational disease claims (and respective appeals), the following Maryland counties (and one city) made it onto the top 5 list, according to the most recent WCC data for 2022:

• Baltimore County: 3,832 claims, 284 appeals
• Prince George’s County: 2,969 claims, 258 appeals
• Baltimore City: 2,922 claims, 178 appeals
• Montgomery County: 1,963 claims, 186 appeals
• Anne Arundel County: 1,787 claims, 118 appeals

While many employers in Baltimore may be of assistance to their employees as they look to file a claim to receive benefits they may be entitled to, doing so comes at a cost in terms of higher premiums with each filing their workers make. Thus, many companies may be far less than assistive in equipping their workers with the necessary insight about filing a claim to receive compensated medical care or recover lost wages after a workplace accident or occupational illness sets in.

Many people who are injured at work find themselves looking for new employment while still recovering from injuries. This may be to earn added income while unable to return to work. Or it may be to look for a new career path altogether.

There are many reasons this can happen, and it leaves many workers wondering about the future of their workers’ comp benefits. Can you work at another job while accepting workers’ compensation in Maryland?

The experienced workers’ comp team at Belsky & Horowitz, LLC wants to help you understand your rights and obligations when it comes to working while accepting benefits. Let’s look at a few commonly asked questions about workers’ compensation laws in Maryland.

Each year, various workers suffer injuries or fall ill while on the clock at work here in Baltimore. In fact, data published by the Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH) for the most recently documented year (2017) shows that 62,600 nonfatal workplace illnesses or injuries were reported to the state agency that year.

While the likelihood is that the overwhelming majority of the workers who suffered on-the-job injuries or illnesses ultimately recovered from their injuries and were able to go back to work, there’s a chance that they couldn’t return to their previous role and had to find another type of job. In this situation, you may wonder how workers’ compensation affects future employment. We’ll let you know what impact, if any, it has below.

If you were asked to describe situations that may allow you to secure workers’ compensation benefits in Baltimore, you might describe a condition with a sudden onset, like:

• A slip and fall injury sustained by a worker on a slippery bathroom floor
• An employee who’s struck by a falling object dropped by a fellow construction worker overhead
• A worker who gets hurt in a car accident while making a sales call for their job
• A situation where an employee gets an arm caught in a piece of machinery at their manufacturing job

There are countless other types of injuries that can leave someone hurt, though.

The vast majority of employers in Maryland are required by law to maintain workers’ compensation insurance coverage for their employees, including those who work both part-time and full-time. For injured workers, these benefits provide a crucial financial lifeline during a period of their lives that is otherwise marked by struggle.

The importance of workers’ compensation benefits cannot be understated. When you are injured and unable to work, your financial security may begin to rapidly deteriorate. At Belsky & Horowitz, LLC, we believe that it is the right of every individual to have a working understanding of what benefits they are entitled to and how they will be paid.

This includes having an understanding of when it is possible to get back pay for workers’ comp.

Public safety workers in Maryland are given certain benefits through the state workers’ compensation commission. Below, we discuss the rights afforded by law to some of the hardest workers in our state.

If you are a public safety worker who has experienced an on-the-job injury or occupational illness, please contact Belsky & Horowitz, LLC to discuss the specifics of your case in person. We understand the nuances of workers’ comp cases involving public safety employees and will be glad to review your legal options with you at no cost during a courtesy case evaluation.

Maryland state law entitles injured workers to payments for their related medical expenses and a portion of their lost wages. These benefits are paid through an employer’s workers’ compensation insurance coverage, which virtually every employer in our state is required to carry and maintain.

But what happens when an employer or company is less than pleased that an injured worker decided to file a workers’ compensation claim? Unfortunately, it is not unheard of for an employer to terminate a worker who was simply trying to secure benefits for their injuries and lost wages.

If you’re hesitant to pursue benefits because you’re worried about being fired for filing a workers’ compensation claim, the attorneys at Belsky & Horowitz, LLC want to assure you of your legal rights to workers’ comp benefits—you cannot be fired for filing a workers’ compensation claim.