Every day, people go to work just trying to do their best to support themselves and their family. With so many years of working before you can retire, you may find that you have spent years in the same field of work. The unfortunate reality about some jobs is that you may eventually come down with an illness that is directly related to your career. This is known as an occupational illness and should be taken very seriously.
What many people don’t realize is that if they become the victim of an occupational disease or illness, they may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits just like someone who was injured on the job. Of course, these two ailments are a little different because in many cases, a person with an occupational illness can still go to work and may not realize that they are even sick for years down the road. With injuries, a person may be perfectly fine one day and then suddenly become injured and unable to work the next. Of course, everyone’s situation is different.
Some common occupational diseases and illnesses include cancer, hearing loss, carpal tunnel, lead poisoning, and more. If you are the victim of an occupational illness, you may want to file a workers’ compensation claim. This must be done either two years from the disability first being diagnosed or two years from the date you found out that your disease was work-related, whichever is later. Please note that if you are the victim of occupational hearing loss, you must file your claim 3 months after leaving that job or being otherwise removed from the harmful noise.
You may be entitled to significant benefits if your claim is approved under workers’ compensation laws. If you need an experienced workers’ compensation attorney that can successfully represent you through your occupational disease case in New York State, contact The Law Offices of George Poulos today.
The Law Offices of George Poulos is an experienced Workers’ Compensation, personal injury, and Social Security Disability law firm with offices in Queens and the Bronx. If you require strong legal representation, contact our firm today to schedule a free consultation.
