What Types of Injuries Are Covered By Workers Compensation?
Workers’ compensation is a method for employees to receive benefits from suffering injuries or receiving an illness through their employment. As opposed to popular belief, worker’s compensation is not just for sudden injuries received from accidents or falls but can include long term conditions developed over time, mental anguish and problems, or even catching contagious diseases. There is a wide range of conditions or complications that could be considered viable for workers’ compensation cases. If you are involved with a workers compensation case and are looking for workers compensation doctors in Bergen County reach out to us at New York Sports Medicine Institute and see how we can help you.
Workers Compensation Doctors in Bergen County
Whether you have suffered an injury from an accident, or a build-up of cumulative trauma, the first thing you must be able to prove for a worker’s compensation case is that your complication developed as a direct result of your work. As long as you can prove your work at least in part contributed to your injury, illness, or condition, it may be viable for you to open a worker’s compensation case. This step can be easy if your situation is related to an accident at work but can be trickier if you are dealing with something that develops over time or if you were doing something work-related but not in the workplace that caused your injury. Once you have proven your injury has come from work, you must show what kind of injury it is. Reach out to New York Sports Medicine Institute for workers compensation doctors in Bergen County that can help you work through the many different types of injuries a worker’s compensation case can encompass. Some of the different types of injuries are listed below.
Occupational Illness
Worker’s compensation does generally cover illnesses and diseases that an employee develops from work-related exposure. This can include things such as asbestosis or even COVID-19. Certain medical conditions have well-established links to certain work conditions, and those cases are relatively easy to prove. However, certain conditions are considered “ordinary disease of life” meaning that there are many causes that can cause the condition for many different types of people who get the condition. This includes conditions like high blood pressure, lung cancer, and many common illnesses. While many people can still get workers compensation for these conditions, it is much harder to prove that these were caused by your work.
Overuse Injuries
Overuse injuries, or repetitive stress injuries, are a common basis for worker’s compensation cases. These injuries usually pertain to a repetitive motion one must do during their work. These repetitive actions could be typing and mouse clicking that causes carpal tunnel and other wrist conditions, or factory workers who have to repetitive lift and move things getting back injuries. There are many repetitive motions that can lead to overuse injuries that can be debilitating and incredibly painful. If you are suffering from these types of injuries, reach out to New York Sports Medicine Institute for workers compensation doctors in Bergen County that can help you with your injury and case.
Pre-existing Conditions
You may believe that if you have a pre-existing condition, you may think that you would not be able to file for worker’s compensation cases. However, if you suffer an accident or injury that aggravates or causes your condition to flare up, you still may be able to get worker compensation benefits. Whether your job’s lifting leads your back problem to flare up, or your typing causes your tennis elbow to become increasingly painful, you may have a worker’s compensation case on your hand.
Stress-Related Injuries and Conditions
As more research is done, more and more evidence and a stronger connection are being made between stress-related long term exposure and many different types of illnesses. This is especially true for workplaces that are recognized as very high-stress jobs, such as police force and firefighters. However, it may be difficult to pinpoint the job-related stress you may experience as one of the causes, if not the cause, for your condition or illness.
These are just some of the types of injuries, conditions, and illnesses that can be covered by worker’s compensation. There are many different types of conditions that can be the cause of a worker’s compensation case and lead to worker’s compensation benefits for you and your family. To get your case and condition looked at by workers compensation doctors in Bergen County, reach out to us at New York Sports Medicine Institute!