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You have probably heard of long term disability insurance. Maybe you feel unsure about how such insurance might relate to WSBI. That group of letters stands for a phrase now used to identify what was, at one time called workmen’s compensation.
Terms of WSBI
An employee that gets injured while on-the-job receives coverage for medical care, along with wage replacement. The same employee agrees not to sue the employer. In addition, the insurer does not name anyone as an “at-fault” party.
Times when WSBI can be applied
The standard case has a healthy individual becoming the victim of an on-the-job accident. That once healthy person suddenly comes under a doctor’s care. Obviously, someone being treated by a doctor for a serious injury cannot work. WSBI’s benefits can also be awarded to an employee with a pre-existing medical condition. In this case, the workplace injury worsens that same condition.
A final case concerns certain injuries that take place outside of the work environment. If a work injury helped to trigger an out-of-work injury, one that happened at a later date, then that second accident would be covered by WSBI.
Procedure used by the WSBI-granting employer
At the work site, the injured employee reports the injury and fills out a claims form. At that point, the employer must provide benefits and also arrange for a medical assessment, so that the next step can be determined.
In cases where problems develop at the facility conducting the assessment, the employer might express frustration. After all, the employer does not expect to be responsible for overseeing a long and controversial assessment process.
Terms of long term disability (LTD) coverage
The employee develops a disability, one that is not caused by something that took place in the workplace. As a result, the disabled worker can no longer carry out his or her job.
Extent of coverage
This covers various needs, such as sick leave wages, along with short and long-term disability. The worker’s sick leave pay gets used up before any disability benefits begin. That fact helps to account for the way that LTD gets handled.
The disabled or sick worker gets 60% of his or her salary. The worker’s family members can also apply for coverage. This provision has been included, in order to meet requests from employees for a form of family leave, in the event that a male worker wants to spend some time at home with his wife and new infant son or daughter.
After a pregnant female worker delivers her infant, it is understood that she needs time to stay at home, before returning to work. That is considered short term disability. Of course, in her case, there is no expectation that she will need to ask for LTD.
The handling of LTD claims
The employer handles the first claim. The insurance company then takes over and delivers benefits. It is important that anyone trying to file for disability claim needs to consult with a Personal Injury Lawyer in Kingston.