Kentucky Workers’ Compensation Law

Workers' compensation is a benefit that is available to nearly all employees who suffer an injury that arose out of and in the course of their employment. Workers compensation benefits include the payment of medical bills, job training, temporary total disability benefits, permanent partial disability benefits, total disability benefits, and death benefits if the employee died as a result of a work-related injury. Work related injuries or illnesses that trigger workers' compensation coverage in Kentucky include:

• Asbestos exposure and other occupational diseases
• Asthma and other work related pulmonary conditions
• Back injuries, knee injuries, neck injuries, shoulder injuries and head injuries
• Burns and electrocution
• Carpal tunnel syndrome and repetitive trauma injuries
• Coal mining accidents
• Chemical burns and toxic chemical exposure
• Disfigurement and scarring
• Eye injuries and hearing problems
• Factory and industrial accidents
• Work-induced emotional and psychiatric problems related to physical injuries
• Work-induced heart attacks, hypertension, or work-induced strokes

Social Security Disability

Whether work-related or not, if you or a family member suffer from an injury or disease that prevents you from working, or is expected to prevent you from working for one year or longer, then you may be entitled to receive Social Security Disability benefits. Under the Social Security Act, "disability" means "inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected to result in death or has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months." Social Security disability benefits include:

• Disability Insurance Benefits – paid to individuals who have worked in recent years (five out of the last 10 years in most cases) who are now disabled.

• Disabled Widow's and Widower's Benefits – paid to individuals who are at least 50 and become disabled within a certain amount of time after the death of their husband or wife.

• Disabled Adult Child Benefits – paid to the children of persons who are deceased or who are drawing Social Security disability or retirement benefits. The child must have become disabled before age 22.

• Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits - paid to individuals who are poor and who are disabled. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) isdesigned to help aged, blind, and disabled people, who have little or no income, and it provides cash to meet basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter.

To learn more about workers’ compensation law or social security disability please contact the law firm of Dan F. Partin today. We represent clients throughout the state of Kentucky. Please go to our Motor Vehicle Accidents or Workers’ Compensation Law pages for an in-depth discussion of a variety of legal and common sense subjects in these areas. For immediate answers to your questions please call us toll-free at 1-800-573-6365.