Helping You Understand How To Maximize Your Workers’ Comp Benefits

At Matheson and Horowitz, we are committed to helping workers who have been injured on the job. These individuals are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits and deserve to receive the maximum compensation for their losses.

We understand that suffering a workplace injury can be overwhelming. Navigating Florida’s workers’ compensation system while recovering from injuries adds unnecessary stress to a difficult situation. We are dedicated to helping injured workers throughout the Treasure Coast and Florida obtain the full compensation they deserve. Our team works diligently to protect your rights and maximize your benefits.

Types Of Benefits Available

There are a variety of different types of workers’ compensation-related benefits available, such as:

• Medical benefits: As a result of the injury you suffered at work, your employer is expected to provide an authorized doctor and specialists, when needed, who can comprehensively address your medical needs. In addition, if you are in need of hospitalization, medications, medical tests and other support, your employer’s insurer is responsible for providing for these, as well.
• Lost wages: You are entitled to all or at least a portion of your lost wages from the time you were out of work due to your injury. However, the amount of money, the frequency of payments and the length of time you receive payments vary based on your specific situation and whether you have:
  • Temporary Total Disability – Temporary Total Disability (TTD) benefits are available when your workplace injury completely prevents you from working during your recovery. These benefits typically pay 66.67% of your average weekly wage in Florida before the injury. You may qualify for 80% of your regular wages for up to six months for severe injuries. These benefits begin on the eighth day of disability, but if your disability lasts more than 21 days, you will also receive payment for the first seven days. TTD benefits continue until you reach maximum medical improvement or can return to work, with a typical maximum duration of 104 weeks under Florida law.
  • Temporary Partial Disability – If you can return to work but cannot earn the same wages due to your injury, Temporary Partial Disability (TPD) benefits help bridge the gap. These benefits provide up to 80% of the difference between your pre-injury wages and what you can earn now. For example, if you earned $800 weekly before your injury and can only earn $500, TPD may provide up to $240 (80% of the $300 difference). Like TTD benefits, these payments can continue for up to 104 weeks while you recover and work within your medical restrictions.
  • Impairment Income Benefits – Once you reach maximum medical improvement, your doctor will assess whether you have any permanent impairment. If so, you will receive an impairment rating expressed as a percentage. Impairment Income Benefits compensate you for this permanent disability. The amount and duration depend on your impairment rating and pre-injury wages. For instance, a 10% impairment rating might entitle you to benefits for 20 weeks, while a 20% rating could provide benefits for 75 weeks. These payments acknowledge the lasting impact of your work injury on your earning capacity.
  • Permanent Total Disability – For the most serious workplace injuries that leave you permanently unable to engage in any employment, Permanent Total Disability (PTD) benefits provide long-term support. These benefits pay 66.67% of your average weekly wage and can continue until you reach age 75 (or for life if the injury occurs after age 70). Qualifying conditions often include severe brain injuries, spinal cord damage resulting in paralysis, amputation of multiple limbs or other catastrophic injuries that prevent any gainful employment. These benefits ensure financial support when returning to work is not possible.
• Death benefits: Unfortunately, a work injury can lead to the death of the injured worker. If the death occurs within one year of the date of the accident or five years from the date that the continuous disability was noted, the surviving family members may be entitled to monetary benefits.

Why Legal Representation Is Essential

Many injured workers in Vero Beach and throughout Florida attempt to handle their workers’ compensation claims alone, often resulting in significantly reduced benefits. Insurance companies have teams of adjusters and attorneys working to minimize payouts. Without proper representation, you may:

• Miss filing deadlines that permanently bar your claim
• Accept inadequate settlements that fail to cover future medical needs
• Receive improper medical care or premature termination of treatment
• Have legitimate claims denied based on technicalities
• Face difficulty proving your injury is work-related

Our attorneys understand Florida’s complex workers’ compensation laws and how insurance companies operate. We gather proper medical documentation, work with vocational experts and negotiate aggressively on your behalf. Studies consistently show that represented claimants receive substantially higher benefits than those without legal counsel.

How We Can Help

It is never a good idea to face a legal issue on your own. Having a lawyer on your side is essential. Clients come to us with numerous questions about workers’ comp and the benefits to which they are entitled. Our attorneys focus their full attention on workers’ compensation cases and have more than 60 years of combined experience, making our firm a reliable advocate for you.

We have experience handling not only all aspects of the claim application process but also the denial and appeals aspects. Our firm does not back down from getting you the benefits you deserve, utilizing our extensive trial experience if the case needs to progress to court. This insight has helped us be extremely successful in securing compensation for our past clients.

No Fees Unless We Win Your Case

We offer free consultations to all injured workers in Vero Beach and surrounding Florida communities. We will evaluate your case during this initial meeting and explain your rights and options. Most importantly, we work on a contingency fee basis – meaning you pay no attorney fees or costs unless we successfully recover your benefits.

Florida law strictly regulates attorney fees in workers’ compensation cases, typically setting them as a percentage of the benefits we secure. This arrangement ensures our interests align perfectly with yours – we only succeed when you do.

Do not risk handling your workers’ compensation claim alone. Schedule a free consultation with our legal team and learn more about the different types of benefits that are provided by workers’ compensation. Call our Vero Beach office at 772-571-4109 or contact us online.