Workers Compensation Attorneys In Alaska

When an employee is injured at work, there is typically no way to sue your employer in court.  Instead, an injured worker is entitled to make a claim for workers’ compensation benefits.  An Ak Compensation Lawyer is still important to retain in order to prosecute such a claim.  

Workers’ Compensation benefits in Alaska are divided into temporary disability benefits and permanent disability benefits.  The former are paid during the period in which you recover and receive treatment for your injuries; the latter are paid when you hit the “maximum medical improvement,” otherwise known as the point where you are fully healed or will not be able to heal any further.  Payment is calculated based on your gross weekly income as it was at the time of your injury.

Temporary total disability benefits are paid when you need time off from work to recover and are typically calculated at 80% of your gross weekly income.  Alaska does set minimum and maximum rates of compensation, recently at no less than $273.00 per week and no more than $1,239.00 per week.  You still must prove your level of earnings.

Temporary partial disability benefits are paid when you can work in some capacity but you are not fully healed.  Here, if your employer can accommodate any medical restrictions by giving you lighter-duty work at lower pay, the benefits will be 80% of the difference between your gross weekly income before and after injury.  

When you reach maximum medical improvement, a doctor will examine you to see if you have suffered any permanent physical loss due to your injury.  If yes, you will be entitled to certain further payments.  

If you are determined to be permanently disabled and cannot work anymore, you will be entitled to permanent total disability benefits, typically 80% of your grow weekly income, to last as long as you are totally disabled.  

This is a brief primer on some of the compensation benefits available to you.

Similar to retaining an Alaska Accident Attorney, there are certain ways to find someone to represent you and things that you should look for.

They include (i) getting recommendations from friends and colleagues, (ii) treating an initial consultation as an interview, so as to learn how much experience they have, especially within the field, (iii) and learning their reputation and success rates.  

Further, and perhaps most important, you should find an attorney that will treat you with respect and respond to your questions and suggestions confidently and within a reasonable amount of time.  

When you are injured at work, your remedy is typically not a personal injury lawsuit against your employer, but rather a workers’ compensation claim.  As there are many requirements to make and prosecute such a claim to success, it is important to locate and retain an Ak Compensation Lawyer to make sure you cover all bases so as to achieve the highest possible payout.  Not every accident Attorney is able to prosecute a workers compensation claim, so make sure you vet any potential attorney properly.

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