Getting injured at work can cause a lot of financial stress. In the state of Texas, getting injured at work can mean not being able to pay your bills. So, how do you pay your bills if you’re injured at work?
Texas Does not Require Workers’ Compensation
In the state of Texas, companies are not required to subscribe to a workers’ compensation coverage plan. Most of the time, employers will choose to participate in a plan in order to provide their employees with the coverage and benefits they deserve. However, because it is not required, they can still choose not to opt-in. An employer who doesn’t offer workers’ compensation coverage is considered a non-subscriber. While this does make it more difficult to pay your bills, all hope is not lost. You can still get the compensation and coverage you deserve through a variety of other options.
If Your Company Has Workers’ Comp
If your company has workers’ compensation coverage, then paying your bills should not be a problem. Your medical bills and lost wages should be covered under your employer’s coverage plan. Any medical expenses that were a direct result of your workplace injury should be covered in the medical treatment benefits. Similarly, if you are unable to work for more than 7 days due to your injury, you may qualify for temporary income benefits. After an extended period, you may be eligible for impairment benefits, and once that runs out, you could qualify for supplemental income benefits. Finally, if your injury is permanently impairing, you could benefit from lifetime income benefits.
While all of this is very beneficial, if you do choose to file a claim with workers’ compensation, you won’t receive the full amount of your pre-injury wages, and you are giving up your right to file a suit against the company for any pain and suffering you may have gone through. While it is more of a drawn-out process, it may be in your best interest to pursue a personal injury lawsuit so you can receive the full amount of your wages, compensation for pain and suffering, and other economic and non-economic damages.
If Your Company Doesn’t Have Workers’ Comp
If your employer has chosen to be a non-subscriber you are open to a few options to pursue compensation. These include a personal injury lawsuit, a third-party civil suit, or filing for disability.
Personal Injury Lawsuit
If you are looking to be compensated for economic and non-economic damages from your injury you can choose to pursue a personal injury lawsuit. However, in a personal injury lawsuit, the defendant has to prove the other party’s negligence. This means that your employer has to have failed to provide adequate warnings, failed to provide essential and proper equipment, or simply failed to keep the premises safe. Proving an employer’s negligence can be tricky since they will fight very hard against it. However, if given the proper documentation, and a good team of attorneys, you can receive damages for:
- Lost wages
- Medical bills, past, present, and future
- Lost income for months or longer
- Loss of future earning potential
- Pain and suffering from many causes
- Disfigurement due to your injury
- Scarring
- Physical limitations
- Permanent Disability
Third-Party Civil Suits
In a third-party civil suit, you are not pursuing your employer for damages, but rather a specific person, contractor, or manufacturer, etc. who is directly responsible for your injury. You can use a civil suit to receive damages for both economic and non-economic damages like a personal injury lawsuit. Many times third-party civil suits are used to receive compensation for pain and suffering in addition to the amount provided in workers’ compensation.
Filing for Disability
In many severe cases, a person can become greatly injured both mentally and physically. In these cases, you may qualify to file for social security disability in order to pay your bills.
Texas Personal Injury Attorney
After a severe injury at work, you don’t want to have to worry about how you’re going to pay your bills. Let the attorneys at Paxton Law Firm handle it for you. We have years of experience and knowledge on personal injury and civil lawsuits against employers. You don’t have to suffer alone, let us fight for you. Call us today at 281-978-2244, or schedule a free consultation online.