If you suffer a work related injury and it appears the injury is such that you will suffer a lasting impairment, you can negotiate a settlement with the insurance company that provides your employers workers compensation insurance policy.
Types of settlements:
Although there are minor variables from state to state, generally speaking you can elect to take a onetime lump sum settlement or you can structure the settlement to provide periodic payments over a set time period. It is always a good idea to consult with a workers compensation lawyer in Santa Ana as making the wrong choice can seriously affect your future rights to medical care.
Pros of agreeing to settle:
If you are unhappy with the proposed settlement you have two options. You can take the offered settlement and then take the permanent disability payments that you can get every week for as long as the insurance company has agreed to pay or you can hire a workers compensation lawyer in Santa Ana and take the insurance company to court in an attempt to win a bigger onetime settlement or higher weekly payments.
The downside of going to court is the fact that you are risking what settlement you have, the judge may end up giving you less, not more. This doesn’t happen often but it does and can, the advantage of settling is you know exactly what benefits you have without the need for court action. By accepting the proposed settlement you certainly speed up the process.
Cons of settling:
If you settle you can lose your rights to future medical care for the injury that incapacitated you. If your doctor is of the opinion that you will need future surgical intervention or that you will need to take expensive drugs in the future, you may want to avoid settling.
Whatever agreement you make must be agreed upon by a workers compensation judge. It is always in your best interest to have experienced legal representation when you are faced with making lifelong and life altering decisions.
If you have suffered a work related injury that has long lasting effects on your abilities you must hire a seasoned workers compensation lawyer in Santa Ana to guide and help you get the maximum compensation. You are invited to contact The Law Offices of Norman J. Homen for complete information.
