3. Workers' compensation can be defined as the monetary
compensation provided by the employer when the
employee is accidentally injured while doing his work or
develop an illness because of his job. This compensation
money entails all the amount spent on medical costs and
lost wages when the treatment requires absence from work.
To obtain workers’ compensation, it is often advisable to
contact a workers’ compensation lawyer who exclusively
specializes in this field and has years of experience because
then only he can obtain the maximum benefit for the
injuries.
4. One of the most common forms of injuries in case of
workers' compensation cases is hand and wrist injuries or
more specifically Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS). This injury
is named after the tunnel that houses the median nerve and
nine tendons that connect muscles to the wrist bone. When
the membrane that surrounds those tendons become
inflamed; it leads to pain, swelling and numbness in hand.
There are several causes of CTS some of which are
pregnancy, repetitive bending of the wrist, repetitive
forceful grasping of hands, typing, menopause, thyroid
disease, arthritis and wrist fractures. Symptoms of this
ailment include numbness and pain in the hand that
extends up the arm and at times into the shoulders leading
to clumsiness in handling of objects.
5. To determine whether a person is suffering from this injury
doctors prescribe a nerve condition study or EMG. If
detected early, a splint can be the only medication
prescribed by the doctor to prevent the wrist from bending.
Anti-inflammatory medication or cortisone injections to the
carpal tunnel are some other common methods of
treatment. However, in case of a more grave injury, surgery
may be needed, and that is also very common. Again, there
are other ailments whose symptoms are quite similar to
that of CTS and thus workers often confuse them with
carpal tunnel syndrome. Those injuries are radial Tunnel
Syndrome, ulnar nerve compression, cubital tunnel
syndrome or PeQuervian’s tenosynovitis.
6. In order to make sure that a person gets the proper
workers' compensation that he deserves, he needs to
ascertain a few things.
7. One should report every injury or illness that is caused due
to their job. This reporting should be with the proper
authority i.e. HR department, supervisor or risk
management department. After reporting, it is essential to
visit the right medical provider. In the case of an
emergency, one has to go where the ambulance takes him
and in case of a non-emergency, the employer may send
the injured employee to a particular clinic or doctor.
8. Once in the physician’s chamber, it is absolutely imperative
to tell him/her that the injury was caused while doing the
job. It is also very important to make sure that the medical
records include the history of circumstances of the illness
or injury and also contains the name of the body parts
involved. Another thing that every employee should make it
a point to do is to clearly understand his/her employers’
scheme of workers' compensation coverage. Otherwise,
there is always a chance of the employer shirking his
responsibility and saying that the injury was the employee’s
fault. In order to avoid any such controversy, it is always
advisable to stay sober at work and be fully aware of the
clauses mentioned in the workers' compensation plan of the
employer as well as the state.
