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Thanks to workers' compensation, workers injured in their workplace have a way to an easy recovery without spending a fortune on it. However, when people think of workers' compensation benefits, they think they are only meant for people who fall, get hit by something, or develop a specific infection or disease.
Police officer injuries are also eligible for workers' compensation, but there are a few special considerations to take into account in the claim since police officers are more prone to suffering injuries than people in other work fields. Even families of deceased police officers get workers' compensation benefits if their loved one dies on duty.
This blog post has all the information anyone would need to know about workers' compensation for police officers. If people in Ohio need legal assistance with this or other work-related legal problems, they can contact Larrimer & Larrimer. This law firm is experienced in workplace injury cases and is ready to get victims the compensation they deserve.
Larrimer & Larrimer offers independent medical examinations, depositions, and third-party lawsuits against negligent parties for other personal injury cases. The only thing clients need to do to contact this law firm is to call the number on its website and schedule a free consultation. Their attorneys are also able to answer questions like Can I get workers’ compensation even if it was my fault?
Can a Police Officer Get Workers Compensation?
Police officers can and should get workers' compensation if they get an injury while working. That can include, for example, if a police officer gets gunshot wounds while pursuing a criminal. The same happens if a sudden accident triggers or aggravates a previous injury. Such a substantial aggravation would be eligible for workers' compensation, even if the initial problem wasn't work-related.
Among the benefits people get when they make workers' compensation claims, police officers can find medical coverage, lost wages, and disability special attention. Regardless of that, there are a few differences between police officer workers' compensation and the claims people in other work fields make.
The first is that most people getting an injury or occupational disease get it when they are in the same business where they work or about the same establishment under any contract of hire. Since police officers need to be in many other places apart from just a police precinct, getting hurt while proceeding with an investigation or any other police procedure would count as a work-related injury.
Apart from covering medical treatment, workers' compensation benefits should also cover ambulance expenses, whether they come from an ambulance service or emergency medical service organization. It's worth noting this applies to law enforcement officers of all ranks and people working for a lawfully constituted fire department.
All cases are different, though, so people always need to call a work injury lawyer before trying to do anything so the attorney can tell them the benefits they may be eligible for. Whether it's an individual employer or a professional employer organization, many people try to do what they can to avoid paying workers compensation, so it's important that a legal professional has the victim's back.
What Are the Specific Factors that Affect Workers Compensation for Law Enforcement Officers?
As mentioned before, there are several factors that people need to consider when applying for workers' compensation. The first of them is that there is presumptive coverage of more injuries than people often get coverage for.
What is presumptive coverage? In a nutshell, the state presumes that specific injuries will almost always be work-related for police officers, so they don't need to prove what caused them. Post-traumatic stress disorder is an example of that.
On-duty peace officers are more prone to getting an injury than other people, which is the reason police officers get more legal benefits than others when talking about workers comp. Since someone working for the police could get into physical altercations, car accidents, and even exposure to hazardous materials, a workers' compensation claim can cover more injuries than a regular claim from another worker.
If an injured employee's employment is at risk due to the injury they got while working, they are eligible for special workers' compensation benefits. More specifically, police officers can ask for disability benefits if they are permanently disabled due to a work-related injury.
What Are the Most Common Injuries Police Officers Get While Working?
Although workers' compensation for police officers offers more than the emergency medical technicians basic services, it's important people know the health problems they are more likely to get while working. Even if the victim's boss only wants what's best for them, such an employer may not be that helpful if they don't know how the workers' compensation system works.
With that being said, these are the most common diseases police officers get on duty:
Sprains
Back injuries
Knee injuries
Shoulder injuries
Head injuries
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Gunshots
How Can Police Officers Get Workers Compensation?
The process of getting workers' compensation benefits in Ohio is not difficult, but it's essential that the victim gets legal help due to the paperwork and legal processes involved in the claim. First, the officer must report the injury to the employer as soon as possible and get medical treatment.
After that, the employer of the office should file a First Report of Injury with the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation (BWC). The victim should do the same, and their claim should include all the information and details possible about the injury and the medical treatment they received.
Once the BWC gets the claim, they will investigate it and determine if the victim is eligible for the benefits they are asking for. If they are, they will get them.
Final Thoughts
Although the process of getting workers' compensation seems simple on paper, it can be stressful and overwhelming for the victim. They need to collect evidence of what happened and manage a lot of paperwork. Therefore, the best they can do to make this process the easiest it can be is to hire a lawyer to help them.
Larrimer & Larrimer works with lawyers experienced in injuries sustained in the workplace, so they will know what to do to ensure the victim gets the benefits they deserve. Sometimes, the BWC denies claims because they are not done properly, and victims shouldn't let that happen to them. Anyone can call this law firm and schedule a free consultation today!