Workers Compensation Law Services: COVID Claims

Posted on: 7 January 2022

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The COVID pandemic has brought more attention to workplace safety and worker rights. If you contracted COVID at your workplace, a workers compensation lawyer can help you file a claim to get the financial support your employer should provide you.

Here are some of the ways that a workers compensation lawyer can make sure that your employer takes responsibility for your health and safety.

COVID Protocols

With labor markets tight and demand for goods and services at record highs, many employers put profits before safety.

  • COVID Protocols: the COVID protocols your employer instituted during the pandemic might not have enough to keep you safe on the job. Once your workers compensation lawyer gets the details of the protocols used by your employer, they can compare them to the standards set forth by OHSA, the CDC, state, and local guidelines. If your employer did not create protocols that protected your health and safety, a workers compensation lawyer can file a claim to cover your medical bills, lost wages, and other damages you suffered after contracting COVID on the job.
  • Follow Through: although many employers developed COVID protocols, many did not follow them. If your employer failed to adhere to the COVID protocols they created, your workers compensation lawyer can hold them accountable for their negligence. When pursuing claims for negligence, it can be crucial to share all correspondences you had with your employer related to your COVID exposure. Emails, text messages, memos, voice mails, and any other forms of communication you had with your employer can allow your workers compensation lawyer to create a timeline and/or a pattern of negligence.

COVID Costs

Calculating the costs associated with a COVID positive can be very complex. Your workers compensation lawyer can help you truly account for the costs of the COVID you caught at work.

  • Medical: in cases of COVID, many clients only consider their immediate medical costs. This, however, can only be a fraction of the total costs. For instance, if COVID significantly damaged your lung function, you might need ongoing treatment for years to come. Your workers compensation lawyer can have you evaluated by an independent medical professional to assess how your COVID diagnosis is likely to impact your health in the future.
  • Wages: testing positive for COVID required quarantining and extensive testing. If your employer's negligence direct led to your COVID positive, they should also be responsible for paying for your testing, lost wages, and other expenses related to your quarantining.

For more information, contact a workers compensation attorney near you.