Minnesota Workers Compensation Lawyers – Law Office of Thomas Mottaz
Most employers in Minnesota are required to have Minnesota Workers’ Compensation insurance, or for some companies, be self-insured. There are certain limited situations where an employer may not need to have coverage, however, in most situations they are required to have workers’ compensation insurance on their employees.
Even though a Minnesota employer may not have workers’ compensation insurance at the time of an injury, there are laws in place protecting injured workers.
It is always a tragic situation when someone dies from a work-related injury. However, you should be rest assured that dependency benefits are available to the family.
Dependency benefits are based upon weekly wage and daily wage which is determined by the hours normally worked in that employment.
Benefits are paid to the spouse, children, or dependents. Allocation amongst the various individuals depend on the type and number of dependents.
Injuries can range from strains to fractures to no wage loss to being permanently and totally disabled where you can never return to work. The benefits an injured worker receives depends on the injury and whether that injury continues to remain a substantial contributing factor in their disability. Tied into this is the limits on the four types of benefits that an injured employee is entitled. I have previously written on the benefits available. That being said, an injured worker can receive certain benefits for the rest of their life, as long as the injury continues to be a “substantial contributing cause.”
It is estimated there are over 8.5 million undocumented immigrant workers in the United States. Approximately 5 million undocumented immigrants work in low paid, menial jobs where the risk of physical injury is high. These types of jobs typically do not attract legal residents due to low wages, physically demanding work duties or dangerous activities. Although these workers are here illegally, these workers are necessary to the workforce.
