OREGON WORKERS’ COMPENSATION ATTORNEY

Workers’ Compensation

Employees can suffer injuries in all types of work. However, Oregon employees should not have to face the financial, mental, emotional, and physical challenges due to an injury they received while at work. In Oregon, almost all employers are required to provide workers’ compensation insurance coverage. When you get hurt at work, workers’ compensation should cover your medical care and wage loss so you can focus on healing. While the workers’ compensation system, including rules and regulations, have become complicated, the laws protect employees who are hurt on the job. If you were injured on the job, properly reported the claim, and had your claim denied, you have the right to appeal. However, the Workers’ Compensation Board has very strict time limits and rules regarding your appeal for denied benefits that must be strictly followed. If you have any questions about a work injury you should speak with an experienced workers’ compensation attorney as soon as possible.

Four Types of Workers’ Compensation Benefits

Every workers’ compensation claim is different. Some injuries happen suddenly and unexpectedly. These types of injuries include slip and falls or other sudden crashes while at work. Other injuries develop over years due to the same continuous stain placed on your body by work activities. These types of injuries include carpal tunnel or hearing lose developed over a period of time.

The four major types of Oregon Workers’ Compensation benefits are:

Medical Benefits. Medical benefits cover the costs and services of medical treatment that is reasonably and necessary for your recovery.

Lost Wage Benefits. These types of benefits are time-loss payments from the insurer if your doctor authorizes the time off due to your inability to work from the injury. These are also sometimes referred to as temporary total disability or temporary partial disability wages. Your lost wages will be paid at 66 2/3 percent of your weekly gross wages.

Vocational Rehabilitation Benefits/Replacement Services. When you have a permanent disability that does not allow you to return to your regular job or any other job that pays at least 80 percent of your wage at the time you were hurt, you may qualify for vocational assistance to help find a new job. Rehabilitation benefits cover retraining or other services needed to find a new job.

Permanent Disability Benefits. This is an award of money at the end of your claim. Permanent disability benefits are meant to cover the permanent impairment that is attributed to the injury you suffered at work.

Who Do You Bring a Claim Against?

With a few exceptions, you are not technically able to sue your employer directly for workers’ compensation claims. This is the trade-off for receiving workers’ compensation under the Oregon statutory framework. However, if the employer does not have workers’ compensation insurance and your employer is at fault for the accident, you can at that time bring a claim against your employer for your damages. The second exception to this rule is when a third party, another person or company, is at fault for your harm. Under this third party exception rule, you can sue the third party. If you have a claim against a third party, Gzik Law works closely with a personal injury law firm that handles these types of matters. During your initial consultation, the experienced Workers’ Compensation attorney at Gzik Law will be able pursue every source of compensation that is available to you.

Legal Costs for Injured Employees 

In Oregon, your lawyer gets paid either a contingent fee percentage of the increased compensation you are awarded or the insurer is required to pay your attorneys’ fees based on a successful appeal of denied benefits. In Oregon, insurance companies are required to pay legal costs for injured employees relating to an appeal of a workers’ compensation denial. Gzik Law, PC handles all Oregon workers’ compensation claims on a contingent fee basis. While workers’ compensation cases are very complicated when it comes to attorney’s fees, put simply, we don’t get paid, if you don’t get paid. You will never need to pay out of pocket for a Portland, Oregon workers’ compensation attorney.