Workers’ Compensation Nerve Damage: What Injured Employees Need to Know

At Victor Malca Law, we have spent decades helping Florida workers and their families navigate the complex world of workers’ compensation. Through the years, we’ve seen how an on-the-job injury, particularly one that results in nerve damage, can turn someone’s life upside down. Nerve injuries can be especially challenging.

Unlike simple fractures, nerve damage may lead to lasting pain, reduced movement, numbness, or even permanent disability. We understand the physical, emotional, and financial stress this causes workers and those who rely on them.

Guiding clients through the workers’ compensation system is our everyday mission. In this guide, we draw on our experience to break down what you need to know about workers’ compensation nerve damage: how these injuries occur, what benefits you may be entitled to, the factors that affect your claim, and the practical steps that protect your rights. Our aim is to give you the clarity and confidence you need at a difficult time.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• What nerve damage is and how it might occur at work
• The main benefits available through workers’ compensation
• Key factors affecting the amount of your compensation
• The steps you should take after a nerve injury

Let’s walk through this together.

What Is a Workplace Nerve Injury?

The nervous system is essentially the body’s communication network, delicate, essential, and often taken for granted until something goes wrong. Nerve injuries, whether mild or severe, can spell big changes for your health, your work, and your life.

Nerve damage, also known as neuropathy, might cause symptoms like numbness, tingling, sharp or burning pain, weakness, or even paralysis. Sometimes the effects arrive suddenly after an accident; other times, they build up gradually after years of repetitive motion.

Common Causes of Workplace Nerve Damage

Over the years, we’ve seen nerve injuries result from many different work situations, including:

• Traumatic Accidents: Machinery, tools, falls, or impacts can bruise, crush, sever, or compress nerves. We’ve helped clients hurt by power tools, heavy equipment, and even falling objects.
• Repetitive Strain: Jobs that require repeated motions, like typing, assembly line work, or scanning, can lead to problems like carpal tunnel syndrome, where nerves get squeezed or irritated over time.
• Overexertion and Lifting: Lifting incorrectly or making sudden twists can injure spinal discs, causing them to press on nearby nerves. Pain can travel down arms or legs as a result.
• Exposure to Toxins: Some workplaces involve chemicals or solvents that can, over time, damage nerves without obvious warning.

To be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits, you’ll need to show that your nerve damage is related to your job. That proof is crucial.

Workers’ Compensation Benefits for Nerve Damage

Florida law provides important protections for injured workers. If your nerve injury was caused by work, you have the right to several key benefits. We always remind our clients that these benefits start with medical care, but can extend much further, especially if your ability to work is reduced.

1. Medical Benefits

Your health comes first. Workers’ comp should pay for all reasonable and necessary medical care for your nerve injury, including:

• Emergency treatment and hospital stays
• Visits to approved doctors and specialists (like neurologists)
• Diagnostic tests (like EMGs or nerve conduction studies)
• Prescribed medications or pain management
• Physical or occupational therapy and rehabilitation
• Surgeries, if required

It’s critical that you see doctors approved by your employer’s insurance company. We’ve seen claims delayed or denied when workers visit unauthorized providers, so always double-check.

2. Wage Replacement and Disability Benefits

If nerve damage forces you to miss work, you may be entitled to wage replacement, which takes several forms:

• Temporary Total Disability (TTD): If you cannot work at all for a time, you’ll receive a portion of your average weekly wage.
• Temporary Partial Disability (TPD): If you’re able to return to work, but with restrictions or in a lighter-duty role that pays less, TPD can help make up the difference.
• Permanent Total Disability (PTD): For those whose nerve damage prevents any future work, PTD benefits can last up to retirement age.
• Permanent Impairment Benefits (PIB): Once your doctor says you’ve reached Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI), the point where no further recovery is expected, you will receive an impairment rating. Even if you return to work, you could receive a lump sum or weekly payments reflecting permanent limitations.

We know this system inside and out, and can help you understand exactly what applies in your case.