Attorneys At Markhoff & Mittman Discuss Potential Changes To Workers’ Compensation Benefits

The attorneys at Markhoff & Mittman discuss how the changes proposed by the Business Council of New York could impact New York’s workers. Continue reading →

Jun 28, 2016 /prREACH/ -- Nearly ten years ago, the Business Council of New York achieved a goal that many employers in the state welcomed. Changes that they had proposed to the workers’ compensation system went into effect - changes that they claimed would save New York employers more than $1 billion.

The changes that were put into place in 2007 may have saved some employers money, however, they also impacted injured workers negatively by reducing the benefits they could recover. Today, the Business Council is trying to push for further reforms which would reduce the benefits that permanently disabled workers can recover by changing the recovery time limits, so that they begin on the date of the initial injury and not the date that the worker is declared permanently disabled. In addition to this, the council would like to set limits on the amount of money that can be awarded for injuries such as broken bones and amputations.

Workers’ compensation, which is supposed to ensure that anyone who has been hurt on the job is taken care of both medically and financially, fails injured workers all too frequently. Not only are payments for lost wages and disability often much lower than what the worker would have made, but in a large percentage of cases, claims are denied outright by the insurance company. In many instances, the worker is forced to consult a workers’ compensation attorney in order to get the compensation they need to move forward.

Throughout the state, many who fought the changes a decade ago are once again speaking out today. Workers’ compensation attorneys and the workers themselves firmly believe that the health and financial stability of injured workers is more important than saving their employers money and that the workers’ compensation system is already failing to provide hard working New Yorkers with the protection and stability they need after being injured on the job. They are seeking to not only prevent this latest proposal from moving forward but also suggesting their own changes that would increase the benefits available.