Under Arizona law, there are many instances in which an injured worker can collect benefits. For example, workers’ compensation benefits cover any work-related accident, illness, or medical condition. In some cases, the connection between an injury and an occupation may be obvious; for example, when a construction worker falls from scaffolding and breaks a leg. In other cases, however, the connection may not be so clear. This often occurs when a pre-existing condition is aggravated by the nature of your job duties.
Fortunately, you may still be able to collect workers’ compensation benefits when your job aggravates or accelerates a pre-existing condition. Arizona law classifies these as temporary or permanent aggravations. Contacting a Phoenix aggravated pre-existing condition attorney, such as the workers’ compensation lawyers at Cruz & Associates, to learn about your legal options and how they may affect your right to compensation will better prepare you for what comes next.
Temporary vs. permanent aggravations
There are two types of aggravating factors listed in Arizona’s workers’ compensation law; these two aggravating factors are:
Temporary – A temporary exacerbation describes an incident in which a pre-existing condition returns to its «baseline» state after a short period of time. Examples include carpal tunnel syndrome, exacerbation of a previous herniated disc, or arthritis.
Permanent – A permanent worsening occurs when a pre-existing condition does not return to its baseline state after weeks or even months. In these cases, you may be entitled to permanent disability benefits.
Common sources of aggravation of pre-existing diseases
Some aggravating factors are more common than others. Some of the most common conditions aggravated by work tasks include ailments affecting the hips, knees, and shoulder joints. A worker may have a pre-existing condition resulting from natural aging or another non-work-related injury, which is worsened by a work-related task, such as lifting heavy boxes or typing.
How Arizona law treats aggravated damage claims
In Arizona, you can receive benefits for aggravated injuries of a pre-existing condition, but only to the extent that your condition was aggravated by the work-related injury. In other words, the Arizona Workers’ Compensation Board treats these incidents differently than work-related injuries.
Cuando sufras un agravamiento de una lesión o afección preexistente, un médico te evaluará y determinará si tus tareas industriales han provocado un empeoramiento de tus síntomas. También determinará si esta afección es temporal o permanente.
Si crees que tu exacerbación está directamente relacionada con tu trabajo, es importante que acudas a un médico especializado en el tratamiento de trabajadores laborales lesionados. Así se asegurará de que esté familiarizado con las normas de indemnización por accidente laboral y sepa qué terminología utilizar para describir tu estado a efectos de tu reclamación. Ponerte en contacto con un abogado de Phoenix especializado en enfermedades preexistentes agravadas también puede ayudarte a presentar tu lesión ante la junta para obtener la indemnización que necesitas y mereces.
Consigue ayuda de un abogado de Phoenix especializado en enfermedades preexistentes agravadas
Como puedes ver, conseguir prestaciones de indemnización por accidente de trabajo por agravamiento de una lesión puede ser complejo. A menudo, requieren la asistencia de un abogado. Los abogados de Cruz y Asociados pueden ayudarte a comprender tus derechos conforme a la ley de compensación de los trabajadores de Arizona. Si crees que tu afección médica preexistente se aceleró o agravó al realizar tus tareas laborales, ponte en contacto con nosotros para programar una revisión gratuita de tus opciones legales. Deja que te ayudemos a obtener la indemnización que mereces.
