What Happens if You Quit Your Job While on Workers Comp in Florida?
Workers’ compensation is a form of insurance that provides medical and wage benefits to employees who are injured on the job.
If you are injured while working in Florida, you may be entitled to receive workers’ compensation benefits. However, what happens if you decide to quit your job while receiving workers’ compensation benefits?
In this blog post, we will explore the consequences of quitting your job while on workers’ comp in Florida.
Workers' Comp Benefits in Florida
Before we delve into the consequences of quitting your job while on workers’ comp in Florida, let’s first understand what benefits you may be entitled to.
Florida law requires most employers to provide workers’ compensation insurance to their employees.
Workers’ comp benefits include medical treatment, wage replacement, and other benefits to help injured employees recover from their injuries.
Workers Comp Medical Benefits
Workers’ compensation in Florida covers medical treatment for injuries that are related to work.
This can include doctor visits, hospitalization, surgeries, physical therapy, and prescription medications.
Wage Replacement Benefits
If you are unable to work due to your injury, workers’ comp in Florida provides wage replacement benefits. These benefits are designed to replace a portion of your lost wages while you are unable to work due to your injury.
The amount of wage replacement benefits you may be entitled to depends on the severity of your injury and your average weekly wage.
Other Workers Comp Benefits
In addition to medical and wage replacement benefits, workers’ comp in Florida may provide other benefits such as vocational rehabilitation and death benefits.
Consequences of Quitting Your Job While on Workers' Comp in Florida
If you are receiving workers’ compensation benefits and decide to quit your job, there are several consequences you should be aware of.
Loss of Wage Replacement Benefits
If you quit your job while receiving workers’ comp benefits, you will likely lose your wage replacement benefits. This is because wage replacement benefits are designed to replace a portion of your lost wages while you are unable to work due to your injury.
If you quit your job, you are no longer considered to be “unable to work” due to your injury, and you will no longer be entitled to receive wage replacement benefits.
If you quit your job while receiving workers’ comp benefits, you may also lose your medical benefits.
In Florida, workers’ comp benefits are designed to cover medical treatment for injuries that are related to work.
If you quit your job, your injury may no longer be considered “work-related,” and you may no longer be entitled to receive medical benefits.
If you quit your job while receiving workers’ comp benefits, you may also be at risk of being overpaid.
Overpayment occurs when an injured worker receives more benefits than they are entitled to.
If you quit your job, you may no longer be entitled to receive workers’ comp benefits, and any benefits you receive after quitting may be considered overpayment.
If you quit your job while receiving workers’ comp benefits, you may also lose your job protection.
In Florida, injured workers who are receiving workers’ comp benefits are protected from retaliation by their employer. This means that your employer cannot fire you or discriminate against you because you filed a workers’ comp claim. However, if you quit your job, you may lose this job protection, and your employer may be able to terminate your employment without consequences.
If you quit your job while receiving workers’ comp benefits, it may also impact your ability to settle your workers’ comp claim.
In Florida, injured workers can settle their workers’ comp claims with their employer or the workers’ comp insurance company.
If you quit your job, your employer or the insurance company may be less willing to settle your claim, as they may view your decision to quit as a sign that your injury is not as severe as you claim.
In addition, the settlement amount may be lower than it would have been if you had stayed in your job and continued to receive workers’ comp benefits.
Bottom Line
If you are an injured employee receiving workers’ comp benefits, it is important that you understand the potential consequences of quitting your job before making a decision.
Quitting your job before settling a workers’ comp claim may result in lower settlement amounts and difficulty negotiating with the insurance company.
It is important that you consult with an experienced workers’ comp attorney to ensure that your rights are protected and that you receive the full amount of compensation you deserve.
The first step in recovering workers’ comp benefits is filing a petition with the state labor board. Your attorney can help you prepare and file a petition, as well as represent you during hearings and negotiations.
Your attorney can also advise you on the best course of action for your specific situation and ensure that all legal considerations are taken into account. Ultimately, it is up to you to decide whether quitting your job is in your best interest, but having a knowledgeable attorney on your side can make the process much smoother.
Good luck!
