Lee's Summit Work Comp Attorneys
When a worker is injured in an accident while engaged in the duties of his or her job, there is a moment of fear that comes from several questions. "Am I seriously hurt? How long will it take to get healthy? Should I report this accident to my employer? If I report it, will I get fired?" These questions, and many others, can be answered by our experienced Kansas City workers' compensation attorneys.
At Adler & Manson, our lawyers have more than 20 years of experience guiding clients through the complicated, and potentially emotionally challenging, process of filing a petition for or appealing a workers' compensation decision. We take the time to explain the process to our clients, while attempting to determine exactly what happened and the specifics of the injuries.
In these types of situations, it is wise to be proactive about getting an attorney to work through the process on your behalf. That way, we can protect your rights and ensure you are treated properly. Our lawyers have worked diligently to build a network of medical professionals. We regularly call upon these individuals for their expertise and insight into these potentially complex cases.
It is important to remember that nothing works in days and weeks in the workers' compensation system — it's all dealt with in months. If errors are made or deadlines are missed, the timeline gets pushed back even further. A skilled lawyer can ensure that this does not happen, getting your case resolved more quickly.
In Missouri and Kansas, there are typically three distinctions that are made when categorizing disability:
- Temporary total disability: Temporary total typically occurs when a worker cannot return to any sort of job for gainful employment. This condition will commonly only last for a period of time before being medically cleared to resume working.
- Permanent total disability: When the injury is so devastating that an individual cannot return to his or her job, or any other job, it is considered a permanent total disability. We usually recommend hiring a Social Security Disability lawyer and immediately take advantage of any SSDI benefits.
- Permanent partial disability: In these situations, the disability is partial in nature, but will affect an employee for life. Here, a worker can commonly return to work.
Workers' Compensation in Kansas and Missouri
Our attorneys have decades of experience guiding clients through the entire workers' compensation process in both Kansas and Missouri. There are many similarities between the two states, but there are also significant differences:
- Missouri has a second injury fund and Kansas does not. This fund pays workers whose aggregate disability is due in part to an injury or disability incurred prior to the most recent work related injury.
- In Kansas, medical coverage is automatically left open for future treatment. Individuals may ask for further review and modification if the condition or life circumstances change. In Missouri, this is not the case. If you cannot prove that you will likely need treatment in the future, medical coverage closes. Also, there is no review and modification process in Missouri.
- The two states calculate wages prior to injury based on specific, but different, statutes.
- Until May 2011, the two states varied greatly on the standard used to determine whether work injuries were compensable — if the work injury was the prevailing reason for the disability or the cause of an aggravation, acceleration or intensification of a pre-existing injury. Recently, Kansas and Missouri have both adopted the prevailing factor standard.
At Adler & Manson, we understand that emotions and frustrations can run high during these types of cases. It is with this understanding that we make it a point to have consistent, meaningful communication with our clients. We return calls promptly, and welcome questions or concerns from our clients at any time.
Contact Our Firm
If you have questions regarding workers' compensation, contact the firm of Adler & Manson to schedule a free consultation. Reach us by calling
