Workers compensation helps many people survive when getting injured at the workplace and gives them the chance to get through life’s difficulties with minimal challenge. However, maximum medical improvement or MMI is a complex situation that can affect your compensation. As a result, you need to understand this factor and your rights if it goes against your best interests.
How Workers Compensation Protects You
Workers compensation payments kick in when you get injured at work due to negligence by your employer. For example, if you suffer an electrical shock because they failed to repair wiring, you will get paid compensatory funds that help you stay financially secure while you’re away from work.
That said, these payments may end up becoming severely limited if your doctor declares a Maximum Medical Improvement rating that is unfair for your needs. Therefore, it is crucial to understand this term and to know your rights regarding it. Doing so will protect you from losing out on the money you deserve.
Ways Maximum Medical Improvement May Impact You
Maximum Medical Improvement is a term that many people getting workers compensation may not fully understand. This idea indicates when a person has reached the furthest and best medical improvement after getting injured. However, too many people interpret this idea to mean that they are entirely better or healed after an injury. Sadly, that is just not the case.
Instead, Maximum Medical Improvement indicates that you’ve gotten as good as you’ll get, even if you are still severely limited. For example, a severe back injury may leave you with chronic pain even if you’ve reached Maximum Medical Improvement.
In simpler terms, this idea indicates when medical science has simply done all it can do to improve your condition. Your doctors are basically saying there’s nothing else that they can do for you. When you reach this point, your doctor will give you a disability rating and know what kind of tasks you can do at your job. They’ll also talk to your doctor to let them know what you can and cannot do.
In some cases, you may be asked to go back to work to handle these tasks. In others, you may never be able to work again. And your compensation level will vary based on these ratings. Unfortunately, your employer may try to get you back to work to avoid compensating because your doctor said you could get back. This might not be so bad for many people, but imagine that you still suffer chronic pain doing these tasks.
In addition, you might not be able to get the compensation that you deserve because your doctor unfairly declared Maximum Medical Improvement or misunderstood the severity of your condition. Some might find that they cannot live with the funds that they get.
Thankfully, you can appeal this decision and fight to get more money for your workers compensation situation. While your chances of winning these cases aren’t always high, it beats the alternative of doing nothing at all and ending up with inadequate compensation.
Therefore, it is worth reaching out to a lawyer who you can trust to handle these unique steps for you. Doing so will help to protect your rights and give you the best chance of getting compensated.
Don’t Neglect Expert Help
If you need high-quality legal help to minimize your financial struggles, it is a good idea to seriously reach out to a workers compensation firm right away to learn more. By working with professionals you can trust, you should find it much easier to minimize your potential losses and maximize your potential gains in ways that make sense for your needs as a person.
