Staten Island Workers' Comp and SSDI Law Blog

New Yorkers who are injured on the job and expect to receive workers' compensation benefits should know about certain aspects of the law. One thing they should be aware of is a Schedule Loss of Use award. This is when a cash benefit is paid to the employee for their lost earning power caused by a permanently damaged body part. To get SLU, it is often necessary to have legal assistance.

To be eligible for SLU, the injuries must occur to the arm, hand, leg, foot, eyes, ears, or cause disfigurement. Eligibility for SLU has certain requirements. They are: the person has recovered as much as possible; the doctor has issued a medical report that adheres to the Permanent Impairment Guidelines with a statement that the person has reached maximum medical improvement; and there is a permanent loss of function in the body part. Any damage to the body part that leaves the person with loss of function is sufficient to get SLU. The person will receive compensation for lost earning power.

If you are unable to work because of an illness or injury, qualifying for disability benefits through the Social Security Administration may be one of your goals. If your disabling condition is on the SSA's list of approved impairments, you may have a good chance of qualifying for financial assistance. Unfortunately, it is not an easy process, and many people are disappointed when the SSA denies their application for benefits.

The SSA has complex and strict criteria for eligibility for disability benefits to prevent fraud that drains funds away from those who truly need assistance. The SSA defines a disability as an injury or illness that prevents you from working to earn money for your survival, among other stipulations. To determine if you fit this definition, SSA agents will consider many factors to calculate your residual functional capacity.

Social Security Disability Income can sometimes be a confusing prospect for Staten Islanders who are unsure if they meet the criteria. One of the keys to getting SSDI benefits is to have an impairment that is on the Listing of Impairments. However, if the injury, illness or condition does not specifically appear on the listing, people might not realize that they can still get benefits if it is medically equivalent to one that is listed.

Understanding what is meant by medical equivalence is imperative to a case. If the person's impairment is equal in severity and duration to a listed impairment, it is medically equivalent. There are three ways in which the Social Security Administration will assess medical equivalence.

Contractors are a vital part of the New York City workforce. Just like any other worker, they can be injured and lose their lives in a workplace accident. For contractors, understanding when they can get workers' compensation benefits and how to go about it can be confusing. Since a recent study indicates the rising danger to contractors, those who have been injured when working in this capacity and families who have lost a loved one should be cognizant of how to be approved for workers' compensation benefits or death benefits after an accident.

The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health says that contract worker deaths are rising in the U.S. At Amazon, there have been six trauma-related deaths in the past six months. All of those killed were working for another company who supplies workers or were contract workers. The accidents happened in areas across the nation and in various capacities.