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New Jersey Workers’ Compensation Lawyer for Healthcare Workers
Respected Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Advocate for Injured Healthcare Workers in New Jersey
Healthcare workers face difficult tasks at work every day. Unfortunately, caring for others also creates the risk that the caregiver will sustain on-the-job injuries. To add insult to injury, if you are a home healthcare worker who was hurt at work, you might face challenges when trying to claim benefits under New Jersey Workers’ Compensation laws.
At Team Law, our experienced Workers’ Compensation lawyers fight to help healthcare workers overcome these challenges. For over 60 years, we have worked hard to win fair compensation for our injured clients across New Jersey. Our award-winning lawyers have a proven track record of success and have recovered benefits for thousands of Workers’ Compensation clients over the years. We are ready to put our experience and legal knowledge to work for you.
As a healthcare worker, you have dedicated your career to helping others in need. Now, let us help you fight to get fair compensation for your injuries. Your first consultation is completely free and there is no fee if there is no recovery, so call us today to speak with a knowledgeable Workers’ Compensation lawyer.
How are Healthcare Workers Injured on the Job?
Healthcare workers take on a variety of tasks every day. Making sure that someone else is safe requires constant multi-tasking—And home healthcare workers take on some additional duties for patients who need help shopping, running errands and cooking, or moving safely about the home. Some patients, in or out of the hospital, are unable to walk comfortably and need help safely moving about. Perhaps most challenging of all are patients with mental deficits who require near-constant supervision to prevent them from harming themselves. These varied tasks create the risk that the healthcare workers and home healthcare workers will suffer any number of injuries, including:
- Overexertion due to excessive scheduling and understaffing
- Injuries from dangerous medical instruments, machinery, and dangerous substances, and from being exposed to hazardous chemicals.
- Lifting injuries. Patients often need help transferring from bed to wheelchair, and from wheelchair to car or toilet. Lifting can cause back injuries, neck injuries, strains and other types of injuries.
- Slip and fall accidents. Patients who are unable to safely care for themselves may also be unable to properly maintain their room or their home. A healthcare worker may slip and fall due to wet floors or from being struck by or against objects in hospital rooms and cluttered supply areas; while home healthcare worker may slip, or trip, and fall over broken stairs, crumbling curbs, sidewalks and driveways, debris around the house or even spilled beverages, food or urine.
- Car accidents. Home healthcare workers can be injured in car accidents when driving between patients’ homes, picking up groceries for the patient or even driving the patient to medical appointments.
- Assault. Healthcare workers can become victims of acts of violence, committed by patients or family members; Patients with mental health issues and other disabilities can easily become agitated and may intentionally or unintentionally cause physical harm.
- Infection and disease. Healthcare workers might contract an infection or other disease from which the patient is suffering.
Any work injury can make it difficult or impossible for you to continue working and at Team Law, our lawyers will evaluate your specific situation and determine whether you are entitled to Workers’ Compensation benefits. In other cases, we can fight for your right to compensation by pursuing a personal injury lawsuit.
Protecting Healthcare Workers and Home Healthcare Workers Rights to New Jersey Workers’ Compensation Benefits
Injured healthcare workers may be especially reluctant to hire a lawyer—some even fear that their jobs may be on the line. If they do, New Jersey law prohibits an employer from retaliating against a worker who receives Workers’ Compensation benefits. Workers’ Compensation provides benefits to cover:
- Your medical expenses
- 70% of your average weekly wages prior to the accident if the doctor keeps you out of work for 8 days or more
- Partial disability benefits for permanent injuries and permanent disability benefits if you are unable to return to work
However, like any other insurance company, Workers’ Compensation insurance adjusters often find a reason to challenge your claim for benefits. Denying your claim, after all, reduces the insurance company’s financial liability.
Common issues health care workers face when filing a claim for Workers’ Compensation include:
- Challenges about the severity of the injuries suffered
- Claims that the proper procedures were not followed
- Challenges about whether the injury was not work related
Common issues home health care workers face when filing a claim for Workers’ Compensation include:
- Challenges about whether they are an employee or an independent contractor
- Challenges to whether an accident that occurred offsite (for example, a car accident or slip and fall while grocery shopping for a patient) was “in the scope of employment”
- Claims that your injury is not serious enough to warrant medical care or prevent you from working
These challenges are often tactics used by the insurance company in hopes that you will simply drop your claim. When bills are piling up, you need someone on your side who understands the system.
At Team Law, we do not back down from insurance companies who try to deny or delay your benefits. We understand the law and the legal process. To learn more about how we can fight to safeguard your right to benefits, call our office today.
Call Today to Speak with Our Trusted Healthcare Worker Injury Lawyers
Getting hurt on the job can raise a number of questions. Furthermore, when you are injured working in a potentially non-traditional employment situation, those questions become more complex. Injured healthcare workers and home healthcare workers often need legal help to get the Workers’ Compensation benefits they need. Team Law is here to advocate on your behalf every step of the way. Call or contact us online to schedule a free case review.
Frequently Asked Questions About Workers’ Compensation for Healthcare Workers
It depends upon how long your recovery takes. Some injured health care workers may be entitled to permanent disability benefits if they will never sufficiently recover from their injuries to return to gainful employment. Most Temporary Disability Workers’ Compensation benefits stop once you have recovered sufficiently to return to work, although you are entitled to additional permanent partial disability benefits if the body part you injured does not return to 100% function.
Yes. Workers’ Compensation benefits are available even if you suffer from an occupational disease or injury. Occupational injuries are those that develop or worsen over time—rather than in a single accident. As long as something at work caused or worsened the injury, you may be entitled to Workers’ Compensation benefits.
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