When Can You Lose Workers’ Compensation Benefits in Florida?
When an employee is injured at work or develops a work-related illness, they are entitled to seek workers’ compensation benefits through their employer’s insurance carrier. In Florida, workers’ comp insurance covers the worker’s lost wages and medical bills.
For most workers who suffered on-the-job injuries, workers’ compensation benefits can feel like a godsend, especially when their injury or illness prevents them from working. However, there are situations when a worker can lose their benefits prematurely. If this has happened to you, do not hesitate to contact a skilled workers’ compensation attorney in Tampa, Florida, to protect your legal rights.
Can You Lose Workers’ Comp Benefits in Florida?
If you follow your doctor’s instructions about the medical treatment and do your best to get back to work as soon as possible, you do not have to worry about losing your workers’ comp benefits.
However, you risk having your workers’ compensation benefits terminated in any of the following situations:
- You failed or refused to follow your doctor’s orders;
- You failed to undergo necessary medical treatments;
- You were imprisoned for committing a crime;
- You refuse to undergo a medical examination; or
- You refuse to do light-duty work when your employer makes such an offer, and your physician determines that it is safe to return to work with certain restrictions.
Also, your workers’ compensation payments may stop if any of the following occurs:
- The partial disability 500-week period has ended;
- You have recovered from your work-related injury and signed a Final Receipt;
- You have agreed to settle your workers’ comp case on a lump sum payout;
- A judge has re-evaluated the facts of your workers’ comp claim and decided to terminate the benefits;
- You have returned to work and earn the same amount or more than you made before the work-related injury or illness;
- The period you were allowed to collect workers’ comp benefits has ended; or
- You die from a cause not related to work or your work-related injury or illness.
Do not hesitate to discuss your options with an experienced workers’ compensation attorney in Florida if you are afraid of losing your benefits.
What to Do if Your Workers’ Comp Benefits Were Terminated?
If there is a request to terminate your workers’ compensation benefits, you will receive a Petition to Modify, Suspend, or Terminate. If you have received the notice, contact an attorney right away because there is a time limit for responding to the petition.
If your workers’ compensation benefits were terminated and you do not agree with that decision, you will need to be represented by a knowledgeable workers’ comp attorney. Contesting the denial or termination of workers’ comp benefits requires you to deal with insurance companies.
Doing so can be a challenging and time-consuming experience, which is why you should seek help from a skilled workers’ comp attorney to help you get your benefits reinstated or file a lawsuit against your employer and/or their insurance provider.
Speak with our Tampa workers’ compensation attorneys at Kobal Law if your benefits have been terminated for an illegal reason or no reason at all. Call at 813-873-2440 to schedule a consultation.
