The Florida workers compensation laws are regulated by the Florida Division of Occupational injuries in the state’s Department of Financial Services. These laws have been implemented in this state with an objective to deal with cases of on-the-job injuries and accidents. The state of Florida has made certain things legally mandatory for both the employees and the employers; at the same time, certain legal rights have also been provided to both the parties. Following are some important points of the laws that you must be well aware of, especially if you are working as an employee or running a business in Florida.
Medical Benefits
As per the Florida workers compensation laws, an employee in this state is entitled to receive medical care for all sorts of work-related injuries. The medical care benefits include coverage for medical tests, x-rays, prosthesis, physical therapy, medication, hospitalization, doctor visits, and other such things. However, the monetary benefits are not provided in advance; it is instead reimbursable. The injured employee has to file a claim for reimbursement of the medical bills from the insurance company of the employer. The insurance company then transfers the money to the employee’s bank account.
Death Benefits
As per the Labor Code 440.16 of the Florida workers compensation laws, when an employee dies at the workplace or while performing a task as part of his or her job, the surviving spouse and/or the children of the deceased are entitled to financial compensation for up to five years. The death benefits include $150,000 of monetary compensation to the dependants of the deceased and payments for the funeral expenses. Besides children and surviving spouse, the dependents may also include grandchildren, siblings and parents. However, the actually percentage of recovery depends on an array of factors.
Permanent Total Disability Benefits
As per the Labor Code 440.15 (1) (b) of Florida workers compensation laws, there are certain types of injuries that are legally considered as permanent total disability, such as closed head injuries, severe brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, second or third degree burns, amputations, blindness, and other such things. The monetary benefits include two-third of your average weekly wages during the period of disability. For the first 180 days, the benefits may amount to up to eighty percent of the wages. However, the benefits may also be modified depending upon whether rehabilitation occurs or not.
Impairment Benefits
As per the Florida Labor Code 440.15 (3) (b) of the Florida workers compensation laws, there is a certain method, where a uniform impairment rating schedule is used to determine the amount of compensation in cases of impairments. The injured employee receives the compensation on the basis of the impairment rating. The payments are made every two weeks. The injured worker qualifies for these benefits only after maximum medical improvement is reached or the temporary total disability stops.
Temporary Total Disability Benefits
These types of compensation benefits have been described in detail in the Labor Code 440.15 (2) of the Florida workers compensation laws. The compensation payments are made for a maximum of 104 weeks. The payments are stopped when the employee reaches maximum medical improvements and/or finally returns to work.