Florida Workers Compensation Benefits
- An employer's workers' compensation insurance carrier will pay medical benefits to workers who receive treatment from the doctors they authorize. State law does not permit an injured employee to receive treatment from his personal physician unless that physician is authorized by the insurance carrier, according to the state agency's website section on benefits. The state advises employees not to delay in reporting injuries, noting the employer can authorize emergency treatment, but that the insurance company must authorize additional treatment.
- Injured employees who cannot work as a result of their injuries may be eligible for wage replacement benefits after they have been off work for seven calendar days. The state says benefits begin on the eighth day after the injury, but the worker will not be compensated for those seven calendar days unless he is off work at least 21 days. An "Employee Facts" brochure says wage replacement benefits are two-thirds of the worker's pre-injury wage but not higher than Florida's average weekly wage. The agency says injured workers can only receive benefits until he reaches maximum medical improvement or for 104 weeks, whichever comes first.
- The state pays both temporary and permanent disability benefits. Temporary benefits are the same as wage loss benefits. The employee may receive permanent disability benefits when the injury is permanent. If the employee achieves maximum medical improvement and is still unable to work, his doctor will have him evaluated for an impairment rating. A disability settlement will be made based on the level of impairment. If the employee is able to work, but not at his pre-injury job, he may be eligible for rehabilitation help from the state's vocational rehabilitation program through the Department of Education.
- If a worker dies as a result of her work injury within a year of the accident, the state will pay toward burial expenses. This payment will also be made with up to five years of continuous disability for the injured employee, the state says. The state also will compensate the worker's survivors as well as provide education benefits for her spouse.
