When you have been hurt by a work-related accident or illness, you are probably entitled to certain benefits. Your employer provides you with coverage that includes medical expenses and a partial disability salary if you are told to stay home and get better. At some point, your situation may turn a corner. Read on so that you will be ready for maximum medical improvement (MMI).
A Turning Point
Once your workers' compensation claim is approved, you will begin to receive monetary benefits. This money is not as much as you were earning prior to your accident, however. These payments are made regularly to you based on the input of your workers' comp doctor. Though injuries heal in their own time, the insurer will check on your injury using a special exam called the independent medical examination (IME).
The IME can result in several judgments by the doctor and the insurer. The hurt worker might be deemed fit to return to their job, for example. If the worker disagrees with that ruling, they can ask for another IME to be performed. The IME might result in a ruling that the worker needs more time to get over their injury. In that case, several more weeks of disability benefits are approved. Finally, the worker may be deemed permanently disabled. This results when injuries may never heal enough for the worker to return to their job. That is what is known as MMI.
What MMI Means to the Worker
When you are at MMI, you still need medical treatment help for the time being. However, your benefits are about to undergo a huge change. You will no longer be provided with regular payments but will be offered a lump sum money settlement. Hurt workers need to be very careful at this junction. A mistake could mean you are permanently locked out of the compensation you deserve.
In many cases, workers are not able to work at any job after the MMI ruling. However, they may be eligible for Social Security Disability benefits and several vocational programs. The most important thing to keep in mind is the amount of the workers' compensation settlement. The insurer may not be willing to pay a worker as much as they deserve. That is why many hurt workers with MMI rulings need the help of a workers' compensation lawyer. They can help you understand how much money you deserve, and they will work with the insurer to get you paid. Speak to a workers' compensation lawyer to find out more.
Contact a workers' compensation lawyer to learn more about MMI and how it pertains to your case.
Share7 November 2022
