Jan 20, 2019 | Personal Injury, Work Injuries
The days, weeks, or even months following a work injury can be particularly difficult on the person facing injury and recovery. They’re dealing with financial stress, loneliness, and a loss of life quality. For these reasons, and many others, having a solid support system post-injury makes a big difference in how your loved one copes and recovers. So, what can you do to help get the people you love through this difficult time?
Support System Post-Injury: Lifting up Loved Ones
Give them your company
Sure, you can cook meals, clean, run errands, or do other chores and it will be greatly appreciated. But, more than anything you set aside time for, keeping them company is at the top of the list. When facing an injury of any kind, you quickly begin to realize that the world is going on around, and without, you. Your friends are going out, playing sports, shopping, your place of work is still moving along… When you consider the fact that time hasn’t stopped, your condition can begin to feel quite lonely.
This is where a support system post-injury comes in. Depression, anxiety, and general loneliness are extremely common amongst injured workers. Therefore, taking some time to sit with them, have a conversation, or watch a movie, can brighten someone’s day.
Check in
You have a busy schedule, and we understand that. You have family, work, and maybe you even live in a different city or state. Therefore, when you can’t be there physically— be there in another way. Checking in with your loved ones can be as simple as sending a text and saying, ‘I’m thinking of you’. A support system post-injury can look plenty of different ways.
Encourage them to ‘let it out’
There are a lot of feelings that come along with a work injury. Not to mention, on top of that, you’re spending more time alone than you’re used to. No to mention, when you have no one to listen, and no way to exert injury? It’s easy for those feelings to bottle up. So, whether you go for a visit or just a phone call, encourage them to speak freely. It doesn’t matter if you’re three hundred miles away. Doing a little, and listening, can go a long, long way.
Nov 29, 2018 | Work Injuries, Workers' Compensation
When it comes to on the job injuries, knee injuries can be some of the most common. From construction workers, to nurses, people of many different professions are at risk for knee injuries. While some knee problems can be mild, other injuries may be more severe and require a long recovery process. So, we’re here to take a look at some of the most common workplace knee injuries.
Workplace Knee Injuries: Avoiding Incident
Meniscus injuries
Meniscus injuries prove to be some of the most common on-the-job injuries. This injury can come from a serious accident, or just twisting your knee a certain way. It’s normally signaled by intense pain and a feeling that your knee is giving out. It can also trigger a lot of swelling, which may prevent your normal range of motion. In cases of severe meniscus tears, your doctor will want to proceed with surgery and physical therapy. However, compared to other knee injuries the recovery process for this tear is usually not long. In addition, most people experience a full recovery and have very few problems later on.
Ligament Injuries
These types of issues take place in the ligaments that surround the left and ride sides of your knee. In most cases, these injuries occur because of an accident. You will most likely be able to feel it the moment you tear either your ACL, MCL, or PCL. Unlike a meniscus injury, these problems usually require months of recovery. In fact, sometimes an ACL tear can require reconstructive surgery.
In cases of workplace knee injuries, it’s so important to report your accident right away. The only way to diagnose a knee problem such as these is to have an MRI. This scan alone can be very costly. In addition, the doctor’s visits, cost of surgery, and physical therapy will be expensive. Therefore, you want to make sure to report your injury so that you can receive the proper coverage.
However, if your injury isn’t due to a specific accident, it’s still important to report the pain you are having. You never know when the daily demand of your job will lead to knee injuries. So, even though you haven’t experienced a specific accident, that doesn’t mean you haven’t injured your knee.
Nov 16, 2018 | Work Injuries, Workers' Compensation
When it comes to our loved ones, we never want to see them in pain. Furthermore, when facing a work injury, you’ll often notice your loved ones feeling down, depressed, and feeling discouraged by the recovery process. Depending on the injury at the hand, recovery can take months. Those months can feel long and lonely, especially when you spend them mainly on your own. So, what can you do, as a loved one, to show support post-work injury? You’re willing to do anything to help, but it can often be difficult to know where to start…
How-To Show Support Post-Work Injury: Supporting Loved Ones
Spend Time Together
The one thing many people facing work injury will deal with is isolation. This is no one’s fault. After all, most everyone is going about business as usual. However, when you lose the routine of your daily life, and you’re going at it alone, depression can set in. So, take some time out to spend time with your loved one. The absolute best way to show support post-work injury, is to simply give your time and company.
Let them vent
There are a lot of feelings that come along with an injury of any kind, but especially one that alters your way of life. So, be there to listen. This person is likely feeling frustration, discouragement, fear, anger, and many many other emotions. The best thing you can do for them is listen and let them vent it out. There is nothing more therapeutic than to get it all out there, and have someone allow you to. It’s not that you need to say anything in particular, or fix the situation. Being there, listening, and being a shoulder to lean on is almost always enough.
Be there for them, but make yourself a priority to
You can do plenty to help the people you love, but self-care is also extremely important. Maybe you’re taking them to appointments, making meals, cleaning the house, and doing every single thing you can. But, sometimes you find that you’re irritated, short-tempered, and tired. So, take some time to yourself as well. You want to help, and you’re doing a great deal. But, your life and well-being is also a priority. Don’t cause yourself pain, or even an injury, by overexerting yourself. Your loved one will understand if you need to go home, take a shower, or catch up on homework, or so forth.
Nov 4, 2018 | Work Injuries, Workers' Compensation
Depending on the conditions under which you work, you might find that you’re facing a handful of occupational hazards, or resulting injuries. While some may not be very serious, others can have a life long impact. If you work in factories, or construction sites, you might be exposed to loud noises on a daily basis. For this reason, among others, hearing loss can be a potential lifelong work injury that you receive. If you find yourself suffering from any degree of hearing loss as a result of the workplace, it might be a good idea to speak with an attorney about what actions you can take to compensate for your loss of quality of life.
Hearing Loss as a Work Injury
The state of North Carolina has some guidelines in place for how to deal with these cases. Like many other diseases and injuries, your hearing issues can be a direct result of your work environment. Therefore, employees may be able to receive workers comp for this. But there are some stipulations in these cases.
Total vs partial hearing loss. Permanent sensorineural loss of hearing in both ears would result in workers comp. In short, all that means is permanent deafness due to damage in the ear caused by exposure to a loud noise. In this case, an employees may receive up to 150 weeks of workers comp. That means around 2/3 of the employees weekly salary paid out for 150 weeks.
Partial hearing loss. In the case of partial hearing loss, the employer will only pay for any hearing lost while working at the company. For instance, most companies will ask a new employer to take a hearing test before beginning work. Therefore, they will compare the pre-test to a current test.
Loss in both ears. In order to receive workers comp, an employee must suffer loss in both ears. If an employee only experiences a loss of hearing in one ear, then he will not be eligible for workers comp.
Like many other injuries, hearing loss can leave you eligible for workers comp. However, having an attorney in place can help you make that determination. We wish you luck in facing this issue, and offer our condolences for you loss of quality of life.
Oct 26, 2018 | Work Injuries, Workers' Compensation
Worker’s compensation benefits come in many different forms and fashions. After all, there are many different stages to recovering from an injury, and getting back on your feet. You have initial recovery, rehabilitation, and getting back to work if you can. When getting back to work, it might be difficult, or impossible, to resume the exact position you help before. For this reason, reduced earnings benefits are a huge relief for injured workers that are getting back to it. But how do they work?
Reduced Earnings Benefits: Understanding Worker’s Comp
You’ll eventually return to work after an accident. When you do, it might take time to get back to your old work duties. Or, you might be confined to light duty return. At this time, you might find that the position you’re holding doesn’t pay quite as much as what you had before. When you face this issue, reduced earnings benefits can come in and compensate for that difference in wage. By introducing this amount, you will be able to maintain your lifestyle, get back to work comfortably, and return to your way of life.
A Stress-Reliever
The biggest thing that reduced earnings benefits do for you is provide a peace of mind. An injured worker can come back into the workplace and not worry about their ability to hit the ground running. These benefits can be very helpful in the difficult time following an accident. While this time can be painful and there can be many stressors, money does not need to be one of them. Therefore, these benefits can make for a less stressful transition. Without having to worry about a loss of wages, you can return to work, find your footing once again, and work your way back to full capacity.
Every injured worker’s journey is a little bit different, and their way back to work is no small feat. By providing these benefits, every worker has the chance to come back to work when the time is right, and move forward.
Oct 21, 2018 | Work Injuries, Workers' Compensation
Vocational rehabilitation is a form of worker’s comp. In short, this set of big words just means getting back into the work field. And that is what this form of worker’s comp does. When someone must stop working due to injury, this benefit helps them get back into the work field when the time comes.
Vocational Rehabilitation: How Does It Work
When you suffer from an injury at work, it is possible you will not be able to return to that same job. Whether your injury keeps you from preforming that job or the job is no longer available, you may not return. However, you will most likely need to work again. And in that case, that means you will need to find a new job. But sometimes that can be tough.
Therefore, worker’s comp offers vocational rehabilitation benefits. Under these benefits you can receive training for a new job. In the case that you want to change fields completely, these benefits also tuition reimbursement. By that standard, you may decide to go back to school and see a different area of work. In which case, these benefits will cover the cost of school.
Furthermore, you can still receive wage loss benefits during this time as well. So while you are receiving job training or going to school, benefits can also cover a portion of your previous wages.
How Long Does It Last?
These worker’s comp benefits can last for up to 2 years. Since transitioning back to work can be hard, these benefits help make the transition easier. Under these benefits, you can take the time you need to find a suitable new job. In addition, you can be sure that you prepare yourself either through training or education. Furthermore, these benefits take away the worry of finding a new job too quickly without feeling you can or want to do it.
In short, vocational rehab is a means of getting you back into a suitable position after a work injury. These benefits can come in the form of wages while you’re facing new job training, tuition reimbursement, and other mean that can allow for you to make the same amount of money, if not more, than you were making before the injury. Facing a work injury is difficult enough without the worry of making ends meet when it’s all said and done. For this very reason, vocational rehabilitation benefits exist.
