Job Injury Benefits for LEP Workers in Florida
Tampa is an international city. Approximately a third of area residents speak a language other than English at home. Most of these individuals describe their English skills as good or fair. When LEP (limited English proficiency persons) go to work, their manual and trade skills make them excellent employees, but their limited English skills create issues.
One myth we should dispel straightaway is that only legal residents or citizens are eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. That’s absolutely not true. So, injured LEP workers can partner with a Tampa workers’ compensation lawyer who explains the complete process in language they understand, advocates for them, and doesn’t quit until the victim receives the largest possible settlement.
Medical Benefits
For many LEP victims, the issue is not so much entitlement to benefits as receiving benefits. We’ll cover both these issues in this post.
Workers’ compensation directly pays all reasonably necessary medical bills. This category includes the following medical expenses:
- Transportation: Many victims require expensive medevac transportation to hospitals. Job injury victims are not stuck with the bill, as long as that transportation mode was reasonably necessary.
- Medical Care: The average hospital bill in Tampa is over $3,000 per day. If doctors perform surgery or do anything other than read charts, the bill is much higher. Workers’ compensation pays these expenses, as well as follow-up medical care expenses.
- Physical Therapy: LEP job injury victims are not on their own when they’re released from hospitals. Workers’ compensation pays for up to five years of physical therapy. This extended time period lets LEP victims recover at their own pace.
- Ancillary Expenses: Prescription drugs and medical devices are part of the process at every step. Second-rate drugs and devices often delay the recovery process. A Tampa workers’ compensation lawyer helps ensure that victims get the treatment they need when they need it.
As mentioned, the workers’ compensation insurance company directly pays medical providers. If the settlement is delayed, and it usually is, lawyers have professional relationships with doctors who delay billing until the case is resolved.
Additionally, the workers’ compensation insurance company is exclusively responsible for all reasonably necessary medical bills. Victims aren’t responsible for any unpaid charges, such as the difference between an insurance reimbursement cost and an out-of-pocket cost.
Lost Wages
Receiving lost wage benefits is sometimes more complex. Approximately 10 percent of Tampa residents don’t have bank accounts.
A debit card is one option. In many cases, the insurance company puts lost wage replacement benefits on a debit card, which victims are then free to spend in whatever way they desire. Escrow payment is another possibility. A Tampa workers’ compensation lawyer receives the payments as trustee, and then gives cash to victims.
In any case, the insurance company cannot deny benefits based on citizenship and has a duty to pay victims, not just issue checks.
Most job injury victims receive two-thirds of their average weekly wage for the duration of their temporary or permanent disabilities. The AWW includes regular cash compensation (net pay) as well as irregular or non-cash compensation (matching 410(k) contributions and missed overtime opportunities).
Work With a Detail-Oriented Hillsborough County Lawyer
Injury victims are entitled to important financial benefits. For a confidential consultation with an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer in Tampa, contact Kobal Law. We routinely handle matters throughout the Sunshine State.
Source:
census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/tampacityflorida/RHI225223
