Depending upon what your circumstances are, you may qualify for one of these types of claims. Which of these might apply to your situation?
Type 1 – Medical Treatment Only, and Nothing Else
If you were injured on the job but did not miss any time from work, you may qualify for a Type 1 claim. It is necessary, however, that you received treatment for your injury. Usually, the worker remains an employee of the same company. The injury required medical assistance, but did not require the injured party to miss any time from work. A local workers comp attorney can help you prepare your claim and submit it to the state’s Bureau of Workers Compensation (BWC).
Type 2 – Medical Treatment with Time Lost from Work
If you were injured, and your injury caused you to miss days of work, it may be a Type 2 claim. For this to be valid, you must have received treatment from a medical professional. In such cases, you would receive 2/3 of your usual weekly wages and benefits while you recuperate at home or in the hospital. Presumably, you will return to work once you have recovered. You could be returning to the same employer, or you could be changing employers after you have recovered enough to return to a job.
Type 3 – Medical Treatment with Injuries That Will Prevent the Person from Returning to the Job They Worked Before the Injury
A more severe injury or condition may qualify you for a Type 3 workers’ comp claim. For a Type 3 claim, you were injured on the job to such an extent that you cannot return to the job you had before the injury. It could be the case that you may not be eligible for most (or all) types of work. If this is the case, you could be paid 2/3 of your previous weekly wages as you convalesce. This period of paid recovery could last up to 350 weeks or 400 weeks, depending on whether or not the medical professionals working on your case approve you for certain types of other employment.
Type 4 – Media Treatment with Injuries That Will Prevent the Person from Going Back to Work of Any Kind
Type 4 injuries are very severe, and may include paralysis, blindness, deafness, or the loss of limbs. Such an injury may even involve falling into a coma. In the event of a Type 4 workers’ comp claim, you may not be able to return to any kind of substantial employment, and may never be able to return to work. In these situations, there is no limit on the amount of time you could be receiving benefits. There are adjustments in some situations, but these benefits may continue for the rest of your life.
Ohio as an “At-Will Employment” State
Some states are “at will” with regards to employment. This means that your employer can fire you for any reason. Your employer can also fire you for no stated reason of any kind. Your employer can hire someone else to complete work that you yourself could not complete. It could be that the company had to shrink its payroll, and therefore had to eliminate your position.
That said, getting injured on the job carries no guarantee that your job will be waiting for once you recover. Your employer could replace you immediately, without warning and without any reason given. Losing your job does not warrant any kind of lawsuit, remuneration, or retribution in the state of Ohio. If you do lose your job, hopefully your injury or condition is mild enough that you can apply for another job – whether or not it is in the same field or requiring similar qualifications.