If you are injured on the job, filing a workers' compensation claim can give you essential medical and financial support. These benefits are available in most, but not all, situations. Here's what you should know about the types of illnesses and injuries included in Nevada's program.

How Are Injuries Addressed?

Both acute and chronic injuries and illnesses can qualify for compensation under workers' compensation laws. However, they must have been contracted in the course of your employment. Generally, you're covered if you get hurt while working for your employer, including while driving to meet a customer, client, or vendor or attend a company conference.  

How Do Issues Arise in Specific Jobs?

Some illnesses and injuries happen as a result of doing a specific job. For example, lithium mining can expose workers to toxic dust linked to respiratory diseases. Nevada is a significant source of lithium. Long-term miners of this material might develop work-related illnesses or occupational diseases. Health care workers have an increased risk of COVID-19, which makes them eligible for workers' compensation. 

In other instances, a hotel restaurant's chef might get burned while cooking, or a construction worker might get injured while using a piece of equipment. Generally, employees suffering injuries like these are eligible for medical benefits, wage replacement, and compensation for a permanent disability, such as scarring or the loss of a limb.  

What Is Not Covered?

Generally, injuries obtained while commuting to and from work or on your lunch hour are not covered. Unreported injuries and those due to voluntary intoxication, fighting, or gross negligence are not compensable. If you claim a work injury but had a pre-existing condition that the accident made worse, the employer may contest the claim. Consulting an experienced workers' compensation attorney as soon as possible after getting hurt protects your right to seek all benefits available. 

Before you file a workers' compensation claim, turn to Kidwell & Gallagher. For more than two decades, these workers' compensation attorneys have been assisting injured employees, helping them collect all the benefits the law allows. From their law offices in Elko, they serve clients across all of Nevada. To read what past clients say about the representation they received, visit the firm's website. Call (775) 738-1000 to schedule your free consultation with an effective and compassionate attorney.