Hearing Loss: WHAT WORKERS COMPENSATION COVERS
Losing your hearing ability can severely affect your capacity to do your job or look for another one. Unfortunately, most hearing loss injuries are irreversible.
Can you claim workers comp benefits from hearing loss in Florida? If you lost your hearing because of your job, then you definitely can.
Unfortunately, proving that your injury indeed happened in the workplace can be difficult. Employers and insurance companies don’t like paying for workers compensation benefits. They’ll try their best to disprove your claim. Some would even threaten to fire their employees if they ever attempt to file a benefits claim.
Fighting for the workers compensation benefits that are rightfully yours can be challenging. But having the expertise of an experienced workers compensation attorney like Victor Malca can greatly help your case. He has helped hundreds of injured workers in Florida claim the benefits they are entitled to. He can help you too! Contact us now for a free consultation.
What You Need To Know About Hearing Loss
Although hearing loss is a common workplace injury in Florida, it’s also one of the most preventable. In theory, your employer should put in place safety measures to protect you from such injuries. In practice, this rarely happens.
Those employees exposed to constant loud noises in their workplaces almost often suffer from hearing impairment. Employees in manufacturing industries, military bases, aircraft and vehicle makers are especially prone to hearing loss injuries. Many employers, however, treat these loud noises as part of the job. As a result, many employees didn’t know they can file for a workers comp benefit in case of hearing loss.
Types of Hearing Loss
- Sensorineural – this is the most common type of hearing loss. Its a permanent condition caused by a damaged auditory nerve. Symptoms usually involve difficulty hearing women or children’s voices, a constant buzzing in the ears and dizziness.
- Conductive – this is caused by an obstruction in the outer ear which prevents the sound from being sent to the inner ear. It can be temporary or permanent depending on the cause. This is usually characterized by pain in one or both ears and a foul odor coming from the ear canal.
- Mixed – its a combination of both sensorineural and conductive. It can happen gradually over time or as a result of ear trauma.
What Benefits Are You Entitled To?
Employees who suffered from workplace injuries, including hearing loss, are entitled to workers comp benefits as per Florida law. Your employer should be able to provide you with the following benefits:
- medical and hearing tests
- surgery (if needed)
- prescription drugs
- medical treatments
- hearing aids (lifetime benefit if the hearing loss is permanent)
- hospitalization
- lost wages compensation
- retraining and physical therapy
Compensation for lost wages depends on the extent of your hearing impairment. You can file for any of the following disability claims as may be applicable in your case:
- temporary partial disability
- permanent total disability
- temporary total disability
- permanent partial disability
How We Can Help
Victor Malca Law P.A. is a leading workers compensation law firm in Florida. Our preeminent lawyer, Victor Malca, is one of the most trusted names in the state when it comes to workers compensation cases. His more than 23 years of litigation experience enabled him to successfully fight for the rights of thousands of injured workers.
We can help you throughout the entire process. From gathering the necessary documents, negotiating a favorable workers compensation amount and representing your case in court if your employer denies your claim. We won’t stop until you get the benefits that are rightfully yours. Call us now to receive a free consultation.