How Much is My Workers Compensation Shoulder Injury Worth?
If you or a loved one has suffered a workers compensation shoulder injury, you may have questions about how much a settlement of your claim might be worth. For many workers, the shoulder can be a very important joint, and pain in that area can delay a return to work and may even permanently disable injured workers from their pre-injury job. If you’re looking for information about Virginia workers comp shoulder injury settlements, you’re in the right place! Read on for tips and expert advice about workers compensation shoulder injuries.
Shoulder Injuries
We use our shoulders for many tasks. It’s often surprising to learn just how many movements and physical tasks require the use of our shoulders. So, when injured employees suffer a shoulder injury on the job, they are often left to deal with:
- the pain of the shoulder injury
- medical expenses/medical bills, from doctor visits, physical therapy, x-rays, shoulder surgery, etc.
- lost wages incurred as a result of the shoulder injury
- temporary partial disability benefits, temporary total disability benefits, or permanent partial disability from the workers compensation insurance company
- projected future medical costs for surgeries, therapy, etc.
Workers compensation can be a complex process filled with many traps and loopholes. Knowing everything you are entitled to is your first step toward ensuring that you aren’t taken advantage of throughout this process. At the Ritchie Law Firm, we make certain our clients have the knowledge they need to make the best decisions for their cases.
Shoulder Injury Difficulties
Shoulder injury claims can be especially complex because there are many possible diagnosis that may cause shoulder pain, such as:
- Ball and socket joint injury
- upper arm bone injury
- rotator cuff tear and SLAP tears
- frozen shoulder
- shoulder blade injury
- other shoulder joint injuries
- other shoulder socket injuries
Some of these work related shoulder injuries diagnoses may be very simple to treat and require only conservative medical treatment with pain medications and physical therapy. On the other hand, some of these diagnosis may be more severe and require more extensive medical treatment, including shoulder replacement surgery.
Injured workers with shoulder injuries may receive medical treatment for a relatively short period of time, while other workers with a work related shoulder injury may take a longer time to recover and reach maximum medical improvement.
Average Workers Compensation Settlement: Shoulder Injury Compensation
The value of the average workers compensation settlement for a shoulder injury depends on several factors surrounding the injured workers’ workers comp claim. The most important determining factors are:
- Extent of the Injuries and medical treatment
- Long-term Impacts of the Injuries
- Pre-existing injuries to the shoulder
- How long the work related shoulder injury has caused the worker to be out of work and how much the worker has incurred in lost wages
Medical Expenses and Extent of the Injuries
Virginia workers compensation laws require employers to pay for all medical bills related to a work injury. This includes bills for medical care for physician care, physical therapy sessions, and medications.
The amount of a workers compensation settlement involving a shoulder injury is often determined by how severe the shoulder injury was and what medical expenses were incurred to treat the injury. If the shoulder injury is particularly severe, the claim may be worth more. In our law firm’s experience, the average workers compensation settlement for a shoulder injury in Virginia ranges from approximately $10,000 to $200,000, again depending on the severity of the injury, the medical treatment sought, and any remaining benefits to be paid such as temporary partial disability payments, temporary total disability, or permanent partial disability benefits. If this sounds confusing to you, you’re not alone! Workers’ comp laws can be confusing. The workers compensation attorneys at the Ritchie Law Firm have decades of experience winning workers’ compensation cases. Don’t go it alone! Give us a call today!
Wage Benefits
After a worker is injured on the job in Virginia, they are eligible to receive compensation for wages lost as a result of their injuries. A worker must miss 7 days of work for wage loss benefits to kick in. After the 7th day of work lost, the workers comp insurance company will then pay the benefits for the first 7 days.
Wage loss benefits only cover two-thirds of an injured worker’s regular income. When calculating wage loss benefits and what an injured workers’ average weekly wages may be, you can calculate the average amount the worker earned and find 66.67% of that amount. That will give you a close approximation of workers comp benefits.
There are several types of workers compensation wage benefits available. Some of those benefits that may pertain to shoulder injuries include:
- temporary disability benefits (temporary partial disability) – these benefits are paid when an injured worker is given light-duty restrictions and can’t fully work their pre-injury job. This wage loss is thought to be temporary rather than permanent.
- temporary total disability benefits – these benefits are paid when an injured worker is placed completely off work by their medical provider. This wage loss is also thought to be temporary rather than permanent.
- permanent partial disability – these benefits are paid when the injured worker’s physician believes they have reached maximum medical improvement and have an injury that will be permanent and will not improve.
Shoulder Injuries and Virginia Workers’ Compensation
Dealing with a shoulder injury from work can be a very complex part of an already confusing workers’ compensation system. Work related shoulder injuries may affect the amount of any possible workers’ compensation settlement. If you suffered a shoulder injury and are wondering if you may be entitled to a workers comp settlement, you will want to get some guidance from an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer.
It takes an experienced workers compensation attorney who handles workers’ comp on a daily basis to know all the in’s and out’s to be able to get you everything you might be entitled to for your workplace accident. A lawyer who handles a general practice or who only dabbles in workers’ compensation benefits is likely not going to have sufficient experience which comes from handling a large number of work injury cases on a daily basis. For example, it is unlikely that a general practice lawyer will know that you can’t get pain and suffering in Virginia workers’ comp. You need an experienced workers compensation attorney to ensure you receive the highest value for your workers comp claim.
Your Virginia Workers’ Compensation Attorneys Team
If you’ve been involved in a workplace accident, our workers’ comp team at the Ritchie Law Firm is happy to sit down with you and talk with you to see if your workers’ compensation benefits claim needs to have an attorney involved. It doesn’t cost anything to talk with us about your permanent disability claim. We have a wealth of information and resources available to us, and we’re always happy to share. Give us a call today at 800-277-6124 for your NO STRINGS ATTACHED conversation with our workers’ compensation lawyers.
We handle Virginia Workers’ Compensation cases out of our offices in Harrisonburg, Winchester, Charlottesville, and Staunton, Va. Or, if you just want to test the waters first, get some more information by filling out the form below. We look forward to working with you.
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