Most people who get hurt at work don’t have any long-term consequences. They may miss a few days of work for medical treatment, but otherwise the impact of the injury will be minimal. For other people, the impact of a workplace injury could be long-lasting.
For some people, despite their best efforts, the injuries they suffer because of their profession will ultimately keep them from continuing to practice that profession. In fact, accumulated injuries, such as repetitive motion injuries, can also have long-term consequences despite lacking a single event that leads to the injury.
Whether you are dealing with an injury that is the result of the slow accumulation of trauma due to performing the same task every day or the outcome of a unexpected accident at work, you still typically deserve to receive workers’ compensation benefits. These benefits can help by covering the cost of your medical care after your injury. They can also protect you from the financial impact of the injury on your career and income.
Disability benefits protect you when you can’t work
Workers’ compensation will offer you a variety of different disability benefits depending on the nature and severity of your injury. For those who are unable to work during their convalescence, such as those with broken bones, temporary disability is usually the solution.
The worker can receive a portion of their income for the duration of their time off of work. When they are well enough to resume their job, the temporary disability payments end. Other times, workers may have an injury that will permanently keep them out of the profession they once had.
Whether it is a physical injury that impact someone’s strength or manual dexterity, or a head injury that impacts cognitive ability or memory, injuries can permanently prevent someone from returning to their previous line of work. If the injury is not severe enough to prevent you from performing other simple jobs, you may qualify for permanent partial disability. This will help you close the gap between what you can earn after your injury and what you used to make.
Job training benefits could help some people bounce back
If you’ve always done physical work, such as construction or manufacturing, an injury to your back or hands could keep you from working in that environment in the future. However, you may be able to train for other jobs that offer pay comparable to what you made in construction or manufacturing.
The Minnesota workers’ compensation program may provide you with job training if you are able to perform some skilled jobs but are unable to perform the career you used to enjoy.
Between disability benefits, which can help cover costs during your convalescence, and job retraining, Minnesota’s workers’ compensation program does its best to connect injured workers with resources that will minimize the financial impact of the injury on their lives.