Many people have the responsibility of being the bread winners for their families. They work hard and take pride in the fact they provide for their spouses, children and elderly parents. Unfortunately, workplace injuries can and do happen. Sometimes these injuries result in debilitating disabilities that prevent a person from working.
However, just because you have suffered a work related injury does not mean your loved ones have to suffer. There are still ways to take care of your family.
1. Workers’ Compensation
Workers’ compensation, often shortened to workers’ comp, is one of the main ways that employees who have been injured on the job can continue to obtain income for their families. Workers’ compensation can be thought of as a state mandated insurance program for workers. It was introduced as a way to provide compensation for injured employees without the use of civil litigation. In Arizona, all employers are required to provide workers’ compensation coverage to their employees.
2. Social Security Disability Insurance
If you were disabled due to a workplace injury, there is also the possibility of obtaining SSDI, which is short for Social Security Disability Insurance. Unlike workers’ comp, which is typically ran by state governments, SSDI is a federally ran and funded program that is administered through the Social Security Administration.
Obtaining SSDI requires passing a number of stringent requirements. According to Snow, Carpio, Weekley, attorneys in Tucson, Arizona, many people’s first application for SSDI benefits are denied. However, that does not mean you will not be able to obtain SSDI. A skilled attorney can help you find success with an appeal.
3. Supplemental Security Income
Another form of income from the Social Security Administration that can help disabled individuals and their families is Supplemental Security Income or SSI for short. This is income from the government designed to help certain individuals pay for their basic expenses. It is only available to the elderly and the disabled who have economic disadvantages.
4. Long Term Disability Insurance
Lastly, there are also private options for obtaining disability insurance. You may want to purchase private insurance if you are a freelancer or independent contractor that does not receive workers’ comp through your employer. The most common kind of private plan that is purchased is long term disability insurance. This insurance will pay cash benefits if a person can no longer work or can only work part-time due to a disability.
Thankfully, society has provided ways for the disabled to continue providing for their families. If you were injured at your place of work, investigate the above options to help protect your loved ones.
