Montana workers compensation laws have made specific provisions to deal with the cases of occupational injuries. If an employee suffers from injuries or illnesses at the workplace or while performing the job (even if outside the workplace), the employer is held responsible for the same and they are obligated to make payments to the injured employee to cover the medical expenses and wage loss thus caused. The laws in Montana have made it legally mandatory for the employers to carry workers compensation insurance coverage for all their employees.
Legal Requirements Regarding Reporting Of The Accident
As per the Montana workers compensation laws, there are certain legal requirements that injured employees must fulfill in order to qualify for the monetary compensation. For example, if it is an injury caused by an accident, they must report it in writing to their employer (or supervisor) or to the Montana Department of Labor and Industry. In case, it is an occupational disease, they have twelve months of time to file their reports. Occupational diseases often are overlooked and come into notice only at a later stage. It usually happens when a workplace is exposed to certain dangerous elements, which causes the disease to grow slowly in the workers’ bodies. In usual cases, the employees get to know about those diseases when a physician diagnoses the same. You will have one year of time from the date when you become aware of the occupational disease to report the incident to the employer or to the Montana Department of Labor and Industry.
The Provisions For Survivor Benefits
The Montana workers compensation laws have also made certain provisions to issue monetary benefits to the dependent family members, such as surviving spouse and children, of the employee who dies because of an occupational injury or illness. You can access the details of the amount of money that is awarded as death benefits by contacting the Montana’s Department of Labor and Industry.
Vocational Rehabilitation
An injured employee also qualifies for vocational rehabilitation in cases where the disability caused by occupational injuries adversely affects their performance at the workplace. For example, they may not be able to perform the same task as they were performing before the injuries. In such cases, the vocational rehabilitation compensation is issued either to cover the resulting lost wages or to cover the training expenses required to help the worker to pursue an alternate career.
Like the laws in the majority of other states, Montana workers compensation laws also determines the amount of permanent total disability benefits as 66-2/3 percent of the average weekly wages that the injured worker had been earning before the accident. The injured worker can continue relieving these benefits until they finally qualify for the social security benefits.