Submitted By: Marilyn Katz January 24, 2008
workerscompindiana.com
If you are an Indiana employee, you have probably had a reason to check out the
workers compensation in your state. If you have any questions about your own
rights, or if you have a dispute, you can check with the Indiana Department Of
Labor for help and information. Your employer is required, by state law, to post
information about their plan in a prominent place at work. You may see a poster
in the company break room or other public posting area. If you do not see any
posted information, you can ask your personal department or contact the
Department of Labor to ask about your own employer's plan.
Your state requires most employers to protect their employees. Temporary
employees are also covered, though the coverage may be through a staffing
company, rather than the actual company you are working with at the time of the
injury. Federal workers, even those in Indiana, are probably covered under the
separate federal employee's program.
You might be surprised at the types of work related injuries that you can make a
claim for. While many claimants are injured in a specific accident, some
injuries are never tied to one single accident. In fact a sizable amount of
claims are caused by overexertion, which can happen in one incident of overwork,
or it can happen over time. It may seem obvious that a manual laborer could
suffer from overexertion, but this type of chronic injury can affect store
clerks and office workers too! If you lose time from work because of
overexertion, no matter what job you do, be sure and explore your rights under
Indiana Workers Compensation Rules.
Another chronic injury that affects office workers is carpal tunnel syndrome. People who spend long hours doing repetitive motions, either on an Assembly line or a computer, can suffer severe pain. They may need surgery or therapy, and may certainly lose time work time and pay! In this case, the employee can ask for leave for their treatment. While they recover, they may be offered another job that does not require the same repetitive movement.
Injuries do not have to be physical. Psychological injuries are covered. Stress or irregular sleep patterns caused by work shifts may be examples of covered injuries. Of course, a serious accident could also cause mental trauma, and this should be evaluated as part of the injury. A worker may need a combination of physical and psychological therapy or medication.
The important thing to remember is that you may have a claim, even if you cannot tie an injury to one specific accident. You do not need to be in your normal office or place of work, but you do need to be performing your job. Also, injuries can be mental, and do not need to be physical in order to deserve treatment under the law.
