Urgent Message Regarding
Oklahoma Workers CompensationOn May 8, 2013, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin signed into law a Workers Compensation law that eliminates the state workers compensation court in favor of an administrative system. Under the new system, workers will lose the right to have an attorney represent them in a quasi-judicial process. Instead, it will be up to appointed bureaucrats to determine what compensation an injured worker may receive and for how long.
Until the new law took effect on Jan. 1, 2014, the existing state workers compensation court system remained in place. If you were injured on the job before or after the law change, you have the right to retain an attorney to represent you. But after the law took effect, some of your rights were limited. That means the things a lawyer can do for you in a workers compensation case are limited. An administrative panel now reviews workers compensation cases, rather than an independent workers compensation court. New limits control how much workers can be compensated for their workplace injuries, even in severe injuries.
If you’ve suffered an injury on the job, or if you believe your work is the cause of an ongoing medical condition, contact a knowledgeable workers compensation attorney to find out how to best protect your right to be compensated for injuries you suffer while in service to an employer.
Helping Injured Workers
Every single day, workers are injured on the job site, leaving their lives forever changed. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, more than 5 million Americans are hurt at work. If you’ve been injured on the job site, workplace or office an Okmulgee Workers Compensation Attorney can help answer questions about your unique situation.
We often hear that injured workers were not told by their boss, contractor or job site supervisor of their legally entitled workers’ compensation options. We’re here to make sure you understand your full legal rights if you’ve been injured at work. You need to know all of your legal options, not just for yourself, but also for your family. It starts with a call to a hometown workers compensation attorney at Worth Law Office – Okmulgee.
State of Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Benefits
Workers compensation claims in Oklahoma can not be filed locally in the Okmulgee County Courthouse. Instead, there are only two courts in the state of Oklahoma where you can file claims for workers’ compensation — in Tulsa or Oklahoma City. Our team of workers compensation lawyers is qualified to filed a claim on your behalf in either of those courts.
Types of Available Benefits
The following list we’ve assembled shows just a quick glimpse of the benefits available under the Workers’ Compensation Act in Oklahoma:
Medical Treatment: If you’ve been injured at work in the state of Oklahoma, then you are entitled to treatment for injuries suffered on the job site, construction site or office. While it’s true that that an employer can select the primary doctor, that doesn’t mean that it must be your only source of medical treatment. Under Oklahoma workers’ compensation law, you can get a second opinion from a doctor that you select. If the company’s primary doctor releases you from care, you can still get a consultation from someone else.
Temporary Total Disability: If the doctor determines that an injured employee is unable to work because of medical reasons while still receiving treatment, the worker may be entitled to temporary total disability payments. Not sure if you qualify? Then it’s time to discuss your specific incident with an Okmulgee workers compensation attorney.
Temporary Partial Disability: If you’re injured at work and unable to go back to the office full-time, but are able to return on a limited or part-time policy, another type of workers’ compensation benefits that could be available is temporary partial disability. These are benefits that can pay 70% of the difference between wages before and after the on-the-job injury.
Medical Travel Reimbursement: There may be numerous trips to doctors in Okmulgee County and around the state of Oklahoma to see specialists, and therefore, injured workers are eligible for reimbursement at the IRS mileage rate when they travel to receive treatment at the medical provider’s facility.
Permanent Partial Disability: The injured worker could possibly be entitled to compensation for any permanent limitations or physical impairment, which is often the case if the treatment included surgery.
Vocational Rehabilitation: There are benefits available if you can’t go back to your original position, including workers’ compensation benefits that entitle you to job placement services and training, or school for other types of work.
Continuing Medical Maintenance: There are many injured workers that have to see doctors and therapists for possibly the rest of their life. If you require medication, therapy or treatment the employer or their insurance company could have to pay until you have completed the regimen.
Low-cost Consultation: Okmulgee Workers Compensation Attorney
For a initial strategy session with an Okmulgee Workers Compensation Attorney regarding an on-the-job injury and Oklahoma workers’ compensation benefits, call the Wirth Law Office – Okmulgee at (918) 756-9600 or toll-free 888) Wirth-Law immediately.
