When Michigan workers suffer illnesses or serious accidents on the job, they are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. Navigating this system can be overwhelming, but a Grand Rapids workers’ compensation lawyer can help. Our personal injury attorneys have decades of experience helping injured workers secure the benefits they deserve.
In this Article
Why Do I Need a Workers’ Comp Attorney?
An experienced Grand Rapids workers’ compensation attorney can negotiate with the insurance company to maximize your compensation, cover medical bills, ensure payment for on-the-job injuries, and prevent sudden stops in your checks.
Workers’ compensation attorneys ensure disputes or complications during the process are handled efficiently.
What Is a Third-Party Lawsuit in a Workers’ Compensation Case?
If someone other than the employer or a coworker caused an injury through negligence, the employee can sue that third party. This lets them seek additional damages, like pain and suffering, not covered by workers’ compensation.
Third-party negligence includes incidents like construction accidents, faulty machinery, car accidents caused by others, or unsafe conditions on someone else’s property.
What Is Workers’ Compensation in Michigan?
The Michigan Workers’ Disability Compensation Act (Act 317 of 1969) provides compensation for employees with work-related injuries or illnesses. It ensures eligible workers can get all reasonable and necessary medical treatment for injuries arising out of their employment.
The Workers’ Disability Compensation Act provides wage replacement, medical benefits, and rehabilitation benefits for work-related injuries. If you’re injured or become ill due to your job, you may qualify for workers’ compensation benefits.
What Are Michigan Workers’ Compensation Benefits?
According to the State of Michigan’s Disability Management Office (DMO), the Workers’ Compensation Program is administered by the Office of the State Employer through its Third Party Administrator (TPA), Sedgwick.
Medical Care
For the first 28 days of care, the state via the TPA selects the provider. After that, the injured worker can choose any qualified provider. Sedgwick covers necessary medical care for work injuries but may review the treatment.
If the worker seeks medical treatment before a claim is filed, they should inform the doctor if the injury or illness is work-related. Medical expenses covered by workers’ compensation should not be billed to the worker’s own health insurance.
Wage-Loss Benefits
Wage-loss benefits are calculated based on a worker’s average weekly wages, including overtime, from the highest 39 weeks of pay in the past year. Payments are capped at a weekly maximum set by the Workers’ Compensation Agency (WCA).
Supplemental Wage Benefits
Civil Service provides disability wage supplements for up to 50 weeks, covering 2/3 of the worker’s regular wage. Extensions may be approved in special cases.
Long Term Disability (LTD)
The worker can collect LTD benefits for the injury if Sedgwick denies or disputes the workers’ compensation claim.
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Injured employees who can’t return to their previous work may receive vocational rehabilitation, including job adjustments, counseling, or training, to help them reenter the workforce.
Why Can Michigan Workers’ Compensation Cases Be Denied?
In Michigan, workers’ compensation claims can be denied for reasons like missing legal deadlines, lack of medical evidence, disputes over whether the injury is work-related, or preexisting conditions. Claims may also be denied if the injury resulted from intentional misconduct or if the employee was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Common Types of Work-Related Accidents in Grand Rapids
Some types of common workplace injuries and accidents include:
Slip and fall accidents
Burns or chemical exposures
Repetitive motion injuries
Machinery injuries
Overexertion injuries
Most Common Workplace Injuries
Some of the more common injuries include:
Broken bones
Sprains and strains
Burns
Repetitive stress injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome
What Should I Do After a Workplace Accident in Grand Rapids?
Under Michigan law, if you’re injured or become ill due to your job, you may qualify for workers’ compensation benefits. Report the injury to your supervisor immediately and visit an approved occupational clinic for treatment, saving your medical records. The DMO will either file a claim with Sedgwick, the state’s WC Administrator, or provide the information to file it yourself.
Contact a Workers’ Comp Attorney Today
Our experienced personal injury attorneys help injured employees secure the benefits they deserve. Contact us for a free consultation.
Get help from a Grand Rapids, MI workers’ compensation lawyer if you’ve been injured on the job and need to file a workers’ compensation claim.
$7.5 Million
Recovery for a construction worker injured when a support wall fell and struck him. (Highest award on record for a construction injury in DuPage County at the time).
$3.2 Million
Recovery for a construction worker injured when he fell in an uncovered foundation trench, ranking as the highest award on record for a construction injury in McHenry County at the time.
$3 Million
Recovery for the family of a man struck by a garbage truck that was making an illegal turn.
$2.2 Million
Recovery for a salesman injured in an automobile collision.
$2 Million
Recovery for a man struck by a speeding vehicle as he waited for the CTA bus.
$1.5 Million
Recovery for a truck driver that was struck by another car on the expressway while his vehicle was disabled.
$1.4 Million
Recovery for a computer programmer that slipped and fell in the washroom at work.
Recovery for a pedestrian struck by a vehicle in a parking lot. At the time, this was the second-highest recovery on record in DuPage County for a similar injury.
$800,000
Recovered for a disputed wrongful death claim against a trucking company. The company denied they were involved in the collision.
$660,000
Recovery for a truck driver that was injured while unloading his trailer.
$550,000
Recovery for a person who slipped and fell in a grocery store.
$550,000
Recovery for a woman who injured her neck in a motor vehicle collision.
$500,000
Recovery for a pedestrian that was struck by a vehicle while standing on the sidewalk.
$460,000
Recovery for a truck driver that tripped and fell in the parking lot while making a delivery.
$450,000
Recovery for a dental assistant who slipped and fell at work on an unnatural accumulation of ice.
$425,000
Recovery for a union worker struck by a speeding vehicle.
$425,000
Recovery for a passenger in a vehicle struck by an inexperienced driver.
$415,000
Recovered for a woman that required neck surgery after aggravating an existing neck injury in a truck accident.
$400,000
Recovery for a lab technician injured while transporting equipment.
$370,000
Recovery for a construction worker injured on faulty equipment at a construction site.
$315,000
Recovery for a motorist struck by a falling utility pole.
$310,000
Recovery for a person injured in a motor vehicle collision.
$300,000
Recovery for a bicyclist struck by a vehicle.
$250,000
Recovery for a young woman struck by another vehicle.
$250,000
Recovered for a woman who sustained a partial finger amputation and other injuries in a rollover car accident. (Policy Limits)
$250,000
Recovered for a man injured in a motor vehicle collision.
$250,000
Recovered for a 60-year-old woman involved in a car accident. (Policy Limits)
$250,000
Recovered for a man hit by a semi-truck while operating a go-cart.
$240,000
Recovery for the injured party struck by another vehicle.
$235,000
Recovery for a person injured in a motor vehicle collision.
$235,000
Recovery for an inventory clerk injured when shelving toppled onto her.
$219,000
Recovery for a restaurant patron that slipped and fell in the bathroom.
$200,000
Recovered for an airline employee struck on the runway at O’Hare International Airport.
$190,000
Recovery for a person injured in a motor vehicle collision.
$175,000
Recovered for a child injured by fireworks at a fourth of July celebration.
$170,000
Recovered for a person injured when she slipped and fell exiting a major retail store.
$150,000
Recovered for a woman who fractured her leg when she was struck by a vehicle.
Latisha S.
Great service. They helped me get my money, and everyone was very pleasant even though the health insurance took a while. Everything was on point on Kryder’s side.
(312) 223-1700