Louisiana Hearing Loss Lawyer
Hearing loss is, by far, the most common occupational disease in the United States. Almost fifty million Americans suffer from this condition. This physical condition also has emotional effects. People who cannot hear movie soundtracks or follow conversations in noisy rooms usually avoid these activities. As a result, they become very depressed and isolated. The good news is that today’s hearing aids are smaller and more advanced than ever.
Even if a pre-existing or non-work condition contributed to your work-related hearing loss, the Louisiana hearing loss lawyer at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can obtain maximum workers’ compensation benefits in these cases. Additionally, employers have a threefold responsibility in this area. They must provide proper hearing protection, convince workers to use it, and explain how to use it properly. A breakdown in any area could be the basis for a workers’ compensation claim.
Medical Bills
Today’s hearing aids are small and advanced. They’re also extremely expensive, and new updates come out almost every year. Workers’ compensation doesn’t just pay for a hearing aid. It pays for a reasonably necessary hearing aid. In other words, hearing loss victims are usually entitled to the latest model.
Unfortunately, many doctors don’t catch hearing loss early enough. Most victims don’t run to the doctor at the first sign of trouble. As a result, the only treatment option might be risky and expensive eardrum surgery. Usually, the doctor surgically implants a device on the eardrum that mimics natural function.
In many states, a company doctor basically decides what’s reasonably necessary. Job injury victims cannot choose their own doctors. However, most Louisiana job injury victims have this right. So, this physician decides what job injury victims need and when they need it.
The medical bill payment benefit also applies to ancillary costs, like transportation expenses and prescription drugs.
Lost Wages
When victims sustain temporary disabilities, workers’ compensation usually pays two-thirds of their average weekly wage (AWW) for the duration of those temporary disabilities. If recovering victims can go back to work part time or at a light duty assignment, workers’ compensation pays two-thirds of the difference between their old and new AWW.
Alas, hearing loss is a permanent disability. Unlike broken bones, broken ears never heal. Long-term disability lost wage replacement is a complex issue in Louisiana.
Many of these victims are entitled to long-term disability payments. Frequently, these monthly payments allow severe hearing loss victims to transition to another career. The benefits pay school tuition or enable families to stay afloat financially while the victim takes a lower paying, entry-level position.
Additionally, most of these victims are entitled to lump sum payments. The amount usually depends on the nature and extent of the disability, as well as the victims current and projected AWW. To calculate future lost wages, attorneys often partner with accountants and other outside professionals.
Connect With an Experienced Orleans Parish Attorney
Injury victims are entitled to substantial compensation. For a free consultation with an experienced Louisiana hearing loss lawyer, contact Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe, LLC. Attorneys can connect victims with doctors, even if they have no money or insurance.
