If you are injured on the job in Oklahoma, you may be eligible to receive workers compensation. Oklahoma workers compensation laws allow you to be compensated for any medical expenses and any financial losses you suffer due to any work-related injury or illness. Here is a brief explanation of how you can determine if you are eligible for workers compensation in Oklahoma.
What is Workers Compensation?
Workers compensation is an insurance program administered by the state under Title 85 of Oklahoma statutes, which provides workers compensation benefits for employees who have been injured or get ill on the job.
It includes compensation for medical and rehabilitation expenses, temporary disability, permanent disability, vocational rehabilitation and benefits for your spouse and dependent children in the event of your death.
Employers are required to provide workers compensation insurance for their employees in exchange for protection from any additional liability for work related injuries or illnesses suffered by their employees.
Eligibility for Workers Compensation in Oklahoma
Because Oklahoma law requires almost every employer to provide workers compensation coverage for their employees, just about everyone working in the state of Oklahoma, whether they are a temporary or permanent worker, working full or part-time, been on the job 10 years or ten minutes, is eligible for workers compensation.
Workers compensation benefits may be provided on a temporary or permanent basis. In order to qualify to receive temporary disability benefits under workers compensation in Oklahoma, you must be unable to work for at least 3 calendar days.
For permanent disability benefits under workers compensation, you will need to be evaluated by a physician, who will then determine the nature and extent of your inability to meet your occupational, social or personal needs, as a percentage of disability. Once this is established, you may be eligible to receive benefits on a permanent basis that will be equal to 70% of your average weekly wages (AWW) up to 100% of the state’s average weekly wages (SAWW).
What Injuries are Covered Under Workers Compensation?
If you sustain an injury on the job, contract a work-related illness or have an illness that is worsened because of your job, you may qualify for workers compensation in Oklahoma.
For instance, you may receive compensation for an injury, such as a sprained ankle, you sustained in an accident at work, as well as for any illness or medical condition, such as persistent back pain, that you experience as a result of years of performing your duties.
Likewise, if you suffer from a pre-existing condition, such as asthma, and that condition is exacerbated by your job, you may be eligible for workers compensation in Oklahoma.
With the exception of self-inflicted injuries or injuries you sustain while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, Oklahoma requires employers to provide workers compensation on a no-fault basis. This means that no matter how you sustained the injury or who may have been at fault, you will still be eligible to receive workers compensation.
Initial Strategy Session
For a low-cost consultation with a Wagoner, Oklahoma workers compensation lawyer call the Wirth Law Office – Wagoner at (918) 485-0335 (or toll free at (888) Wirth-Law). Or, as always, you may enter a legal question in the form at the top right of this page.
