St. Louis Workers Compensation Lawyers

St. Louis Workers Compensation Attorneys

Goldson Hoekel, LLC represents injured laborers, contractors, trade workers, and all other individuals who have suffered a work-related injury or disease in St. Louis and throughout central Missouri.  On-the-job injuries can arise from all types of work, and are especially common in St. Louis construction jobs and similar fields of work.

Missouri law requires that any employer with five or more employees, and all employers in the construction industry, provide St. Louis workers’ compensation protection to their employees.  Employers can satisfy this requirement by purchasing a workers’ compensation insurance policy from an authorized insurance company, or by qualifying to provide their own insurance to their workers.  If you have been injured on the job, you must promptly notify your employer of your injury and allow them to choose a doctor to treat you.  If you see a doctor your employer did not select, then your employer and its insurer may not be required by law to pay your medical bills

Types of Recoverable Benefits

If you have been injured on the job or suffer from an occupational disease or illness, you may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. The types of benefits you may receive depend on the circumstances and extent of your injuries, and include:

  • Temporary Total Disability Benefits: You may be eligible for these benefits if your doctor certifies you are unable to return to work.  Compensation is 2/3 of your gross average weekly wage, as determined by law, up to a maximum.  The first three work days missed are not compensated unless you are unable to work for more than two weeks. 
  • Mileage:  Compensation for driving to medical treatments if outside the local area of your injury or residence, up to 500 miles round trip.
  • Permanent Partial Disability: These benefits depend on the extent of your disability as evaluated by doctors and based on statutory formulas.  Payment varies depending on doctors’ disability ratings, your average weekly wage, and the date of your accident.
  • Scarring or Disfigurement: If there is disfigurement to your head, neck, arms, or hands, an additional, limited payment will be recoverable, as determined by an administrative law judge or advisor at the Division of Workers’ Compensation.
  • Permanent Total Disability Benefits: To qualify for these benefits, you must be unable to work in any line of work.  The rate of recovery is the same as for temporary total disability benefits, and you may also qualify for Social Security disability benefits.
  • Missouri Second Injury Fund:   If you had a physical or mental disability before you were injured at work, you may qualify for these benefits.  This includes cases where your preexisting condition and new injury cause permanent total disability, and in death cases if the employer failed to obtain workers’ compensation insurance.
  • Vocational Rehabilitation:  This is an optional benefit designed to help injured employees return to work.  You may qualify for the Missouri State Division of Vocational Rehabilitation if you are unable to return to your former work and need help finding another job.

Uninsured Employers

If you have been injured on the job, but your employer does not have workers’ compensation of some kind, you may be able to bring a St. Louis personal injury claim against your employer in court and collect damages.  In order to collect damages, you must prove that your employer’s negligent acts or omissions caused your injury.  Alternatively, you may file a workers’ compensation claim against your employer with the Missouri Division of Workers’ Compensation

Seek Immediate Assistance

Under Missouri law, St. Louis injured workers have a limited time to file a worker’s compensation claim with the Division of Workers’ Compensation or the court.  To avoid losing your ability to collect the benefits to which you are entitled, it is important to seek legal representation immediately.  To speak with Robert Goldson, our experienced workers’ compensation attorney, contact Goldson Hoekel, LLC today.