Baltimore Workers’ Compensation Lawyers: Benefits for Police and Other Public Safety Employees
August 17, 2015Police officers and other public safety personnel face unique hazards at work due to the nature of their jobs. For this reason, public safety workers injured on the job are entitled to additional benefits under Maryland Workers’ Compensation law.
Occupational Disease Presumption
The Maryland Workers’ Compensation Act includes a special presumption that favors public safety workers who develop certain conditions. The law lists specific conditions that, if developed by public safety employees, are presumed to be job-related, and therefore compensable under the Workers’ Compensation Act.
- Law enforcement officers (including police officers, deputy sheriffs and correctional officers) – hypertension, heart disease
- Fire fighters – hypertension; heart disease; and lung disease; and in some cases – leukemia; prostate, rectal, or throat cancer; multiple myeloma; non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma; brain, testicular or breast cancer
- Department of Natural Resources employees – Lyme disease; and in some cases, hypertension and heart disease
A presumption does not mean that a condition is automatically job related. It does; however, relieve the worker of the burden of having to prove that the illness is attributed to the work. The specifics of this law are complex and certain factors may vary depending on job classification and jurisdiction. For this reason, it is highly advisable to seek a qualified Baltimore Workers’ Compensation lawyer with experience in handling these types of cases.
Higher Pay for Permanent Partial Disability
If a public safety worker sustains an on-the-job injury that causes any permanent physical problems, he or she will be entitled to permanent partial disability benefits. Awards are calculated by first establishing the number of compensable weeks for the injured body part. Compensation is then broken down into tiers based on the number of compensable weeks. Generally, workers with first-tier injuries (less than 75 weeks) are entitled to one-third their average weekly wage (AWW), not to exceed one-third the statewide AWW. However, public safety workers with first-tier injuries are automatically bumped up to the second-tier rate of two-thirds their AWW, not to exceed 50% of the statewide AWW. This is a significant difference.
Baltimore Workers’ Compensation Lawyers at LeViness, Tolzman & Hamilton Maximize Compensation for Injured Public Safety Workers
Law enforcement officers and other public safety workers do a tremendous service for our community. At LeViness, Tolzman & Hamilton, our Baltimore Workers’ Compensation lawyers are committed to providing sick and injured public safety workers the highest quality of care and service. We work hard to ensure that maximum compensation is achieved so that our clients can rest easy knowing that their needs, and the needs of their family, will be taken care of. To schedule a free consultation call 844-556-4LAW (4529) today or submit an online contact form.
