Attorney
Virginia worker’s compensation rules
Businesses in Virginia that have three or more employees are required by state law to maintain worker’s compensation insurance. The employer is to maintain a list of physicians available for use under worker’s compensation insurance benefits. When a claim is made, the injured employee may choose a medical practitioner from that list.
Employees in Virginia who are injured on the job may receive a percentage of their standard wages each week as part of a worker’s compensation benefit. Hurt workers who are classified as temporary total disability and cannot return to work for an extended period of time, may receive such weekly wage benefits for up to 500 weeks. Hurt workers classified as permanent total disability and cannot return to work for the foreseeable future, may receive permanent total disability wage benefits until the injury is cured and the worker may return to work.
When a worker in Virginia dies as a result of injuries sustained on the job, the surviving spouse may receive a burial allowance along with death benefits, which are a percentage of the worker’s total salary.
Maryland worker’s compensation rules
Employers in Maryland are required to carry worker’s compensation insurance coverage. Any employee who earns more than $750 in a calendar year are eligible to receive such benefits in Maryland with the exception of office workers, who are exempt from such coverage.
Employees are allowed to choose their medical practitioner under Maryland worker’s compensation rules. Workers determined to have been injured on the job are eligible for full medical payments. When a worker is determined to have a temporary total disability or a permanent total disability, he may receive a percentage of his standard weekly wage for the duration of his disability.
In addition, a worker injured on the job in Maryland may undergo physical therapy or vocational rehabilitation under worker’s compensation rules. If the worker should die as a result of injuries sustained on the job, the family of the worker is eligible for a burial allowance and full death benefits.
An experienced Virginia or Maryland worker’s compensation attorney fully investigates claims of on-the-job injuries and fights for the rights of workers who are eligible for worker’s compensation benefits. Further, a qualified Virginia or Maryland worker’s compensation lawyer stands up for injured workers when it seems no one else will.