Millions of workers suffer workplace injuries or illnesses every year. By law, North Carolina requires employers to carry workers’ compensation insurance in case their employees are ever too hurt or too sick to work and need financial help with medical bills or lost wages. It should be as simple as that: you need the help, you get it. But insurance companies and the investigations of insurance adjusters complicate matters. They do not want to pay out for any claim if they can help it and will do everything in their legal ability to wiggle out of responsibility, putting the financial burden squarely on the shoulders of the injured employee. Therefore, it is advisable to hire an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer, so you have a legal professional looking out for your best interests.
What Types of Workers’ Compensation Are There?
North Carolina workers' compensation law can help provide benefits if you have been hurt or made sick while on the job. Some of the examples of various kinds of workers’ comp include:- Disability Benefits for the workers whose injuries are so severe they may never return to work.
- Funeral costs in case an employee passes away as the result of a workplace incident.
- Injuries resulting in medical bills.
- Lost wages.
- Ongoing care.
- Repetitive injuries, for those accidents that happen to an employee more than once in a dangerous work environment.
- Sickness.
Who is Excluded from Workers Comp in North Carolina?
Though workers’ compensation laws are meant to protect all employees, there are some workers who may consider themselves excluded from benefits. The types of workers who may not qualify for workers compensation include:- Domestic workers or household employees.
- Farm employees for a farm with fewer than 10 employees.
- Federal government workers.
- Railroad employees.
- The “casual employees.”