Employees of the State of North Carolina, including public school teachers, are covered by workers’ compensation. When a State employee is injured in an on-the-job accident or develops an occupational disease the workers’ compensation case can be complicated by a number of factors. This article discusses some of the key factors related to state employees and NC workers’ comp.
State employees and public school teachers in NC are frequently entitled to short-term and long-term disability benefits separate and apart from workers’ compensation. Most employees must work five years to be eligible for long term disability but are immediately eligible for short term disability. The disability standard to qualify for disability benefits depends on when the employee began working for the State. Some employees hired long ago must only prove they are not able to return to their old job. More recently hired employees may have to prove they are not able to do any state job available. Workers’ compensation payments may decrease the amount of the disability payment. But State employees should still file for short term or long term disability if they are eligible because doing so will continue retirement credits and access to state funded medical treatment. Public school teachers and law enforcement agents may also be entitled to salary continuation benefits in certain circumstances.
That bring us to the State Health Plan. State employee workers’ compensation claimants should be careful in coordinating their State Health Plan medical benefits and their workers’ comp medical treatment. A workers’ comp lawyer will be able to help you do this.
It is critical that NC state employees carefully coordinated their state benefits with their NC workers’ compensation benefits to create the very best situation possible for the injured worker. The laws regulating state employees and NC workers’ comp are complicated and change frequently. Please contact us for a free consultation with a NC workers’ (workman’s) compensation attorney.
