Workers’ compensation coverage in Maryland is typically available to individuals in many different professions. Part-time and seasonal workers, employees on their first day and even teenage cashiers may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits if they get hurt on the job.
Some professionals, including blue-collar employees, may try to avoid using workers’ compensation. They worry about alienating their employer or believe they have the necessary resources to handle the issue on their own.
For example, if a worker breaks their leg on the job, they may believe they can use their own health insurance coverage to pay for their treatment. They could cash in their paid leave benefits until they recover enough to return to work. What those workers may not realize is that they may ultimately absorb thousands of dollars in losses if they don’t file a workers’ compensation claim.
Broken legs take months to heal
The first important consideration for a blue-collar worker with a broken leg is how long their body requires to heal the injury. The recovery time depends on what bone someone breaks. Femur fractures are relatively rare, while tibia and fibula fractures are somewhat more common.
The femur does take longer to knit than the tibia or fibula. However, regardless of what bone a worker breaks, they can anticipate missing two months or more of work unless their employer can accommodate them. Someone with a broken bone in their leg probably can’t be on their feet all day. They cannot perform the arduous tasks associated with blue-collar work.
They could easily burn through all of their accumulated paid time off benefits and still have several weeks of recovery time ahead of them. Workers’ compensation coverage provides disability benefits. Temporary disability coverage can replace 2/3rds of the worker’s lost wages, tax free, until they can get back to work. This saves the workers accumulated sick leave for off-the-job injuries or illnesses they may encounter.
They may also be eligible for partial disability benefits if their employer moves them to a different position and reduces their wages. Those benefits allow the worker to preserve their paid leave without losing all of their income during their convalescence.
Additionally, the health benefits available through workers’ compensation are quite valuable. Most health insurance plans have high deductibles and also coinsurance requirements. Someone with a broken leg may have to pay thousands of dollars for their treatment. Health coverage through workers’ compensation can pay for 100% of an individual’s treatment expenses until they recover fully or stop responding to treatment.
Finally, even after a worker returns to work, they may still have some pain or restriction in the use of the injured body part, so as to make more difficult the work they perform. In that case they may be entitled to an additional monetary award for permanent partial disability from the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commission.
Filing a workers’ compensation claim is often the best solution for someone with a broken leg or other injury caused by their job activities. Those who understand the benefits available may see the value of pursuing a benefits claim.
