Workers Compensation for Police Officers in Delaware
Experienced Delaware police injury lawyers
There’s not a day that goes by when a police officer doesn’t risk being shot at, stabbed, or assaulted by criminals - or being injured while responding to vehicle accidents, domestic disputes, or other emergencies. At Silverman, McDonald & Friedman, we have more than 100 years of combined experience fighting for workers who suffer workplace injuries or occupational illnesses. Our Delaware police officer work injury lawyers have the skills and working relationships with healthcare providers to help police officers obtain the medical expense payments, temporary disability benefits, permanent disability benefits, and disfigurement compensation they deserve. Call us today to assert your workers’ compensation rights.
How can we help?
- Who is responsible when police officers suffer harm while performing their duties?
- What types of injuries and illnesses do police officers suffer?
- What benefits should law enforcement officers receive for their work injuries and illnesses?
- How do you fight for injured or ill police officers in Delaware?
- Do you have a Delaware work injury police officer lawyer near me?
Who is responsible when police officers suffer harm while performing their duties?
Law enforcement officers, including police officers, risk their health and lives every day. Delaware’s workers’ compensation lawyers protect these public safety workers if they suffer harm while performing their job duties and if they are employees.
Police officers do not have to prove that their employer (a police department, municipality, or the state of Delaware) is negligent.
What benefits should law enforcement officers receive for their work injuries and illnesses?
At Silverman, McDonald & Friedman, we file claims for all types of injuries and illnesses, including:
Injuries
Generally, police officers can file a Delaware workers’ compensation claim for any type of injury, whether they’re doing administrative or detective work, responding to calls that a crime is in progress, responding to disputes, helping the victims of vehicle accidents, or any other type of work.
Some of the injuries police officers may suffer in the line of duty include:
- Gunshot wounds
- Stab wounds
- Injuries due to other acts of violence
- Traumatic brain injury, concussions, and other types of head trauma
- Broken bones/fractures
- Spinal cord injuries, including paralysis
- Nerve, muscle, ligament, tendon, or tissue damage
- Sprains and strains
- Burn injuries
- Stress, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Overexertion injuries
- Internal bleeding and organ damage
- Death
Occupational illnesses
Our Delaware police officer injury lawyers file workers’ compensation claims on behalf of police officers who suffer illnesses/diseases that are related to the work and not to other causes.
Common occupational illnesses for police officers include:
- Infections
- Heart disease
- Hernias
- Cancer
- Sleep disorders
- Respiratory disorders
- Skin diseases
Presumptive coverage
While some states have legal presumptions that certain illnesses that police officers suffer from are work-related, in Delaware, police officers must introduce medical evidence to show that they have an occupational illness. Our Delaware police officer work injury lawyers coordinate with your physicians and our network of medical professionals to help verify that your illness is work-related.
How do you fight for injured or ill police officers in Delaware?
Our Delaware workers’ compensation lawyers fight for all the compensation our public servants deserve. These Delaware benefits include the following:
Temporary disability benefits
At Silverman, McDonald, and Friedman, we work to obtain your temporary disability wage benefits (generally, 2/3 of your gross weekly wages before your injuries). Some caps may apply. Police officers receive temporary disability benefits until they reach the point of maximum medical improvement (MMI), which is the point when additional medical care is unlikely to improve their health.
If you do return to work at a lower pay (due to workplace restrictions), your temporary benefits are adjusted proportionately.
Medical benefits
Police officers who are injured in Delaware often require long-term medical care. Your worker’s compensation benefits should include payment for all your medical expenses, including emergency care, surgeries, hospitalizations, doctor visits, medications, physical therapy, occupational therapy, psychological counseling, assistive technology and devices, medications, and all other reasonable medical care.
Your employer should pay your medical bills so that you receive treatment and prevent the condition from causing further complications.
Permanent disability benefits
When you reach the point of maximum medical improvement (MMI), an evaluation is made as to whether you have a permanent disability, the type (“scheduled” or “unscheduled”) of disability, the location of the disability, and the severity of the disability.
Police officers who have a permanent disability receive additional wage benefits (2/3 of their average weekly wages) for definite time periods depending on the various assessment factors. For example, police officers with a permanent arm or leg injury can receive up to 250 weeks in additional wage benefits.
Disfigurement benefits
If you suffer a “scar, burn, or amputation related to your work, you can receive 2/3 of your weekly wage for an additional 150 weeks.
Vocational benefits
In Delaware, police officers who can no longer work as police officers may be eligible for training/education for a less stressful job.
Death benefits
If a police officer tragically dies in the line of duty, a spouse and any dependent children should be eligible for weekly death benefits up to a maximum of 80% of the “maximum rate established by the secretary of labor.” Workers’ compensation also pays up to $3,500 in funeral expenses when a police officer is killed in the line of duty.
How do you fight for injured or ill police officers in Delaware?
At Silverman, McDonald, and Friedman, we thoroughly prepare your claim and persuasively argue your rights at each step of your claim, including:
- Reviewing your eligibility for workers’ compensation benefits and the cause of your injuries or illness.
- Discussing which healthcare providers are managing your care, their diagnosis, and their prognosis. We can also discuss what other healthcare providers may help you.
- Filing your Delaware workers’ compensation claim.
- Anticipating and working to counter your employer’s attempts to deny or limit your claim or to force you back to work before you’re ready to work again.
- Arguing your case before the hearing officials.
- Fighting for all your benefits.
- Negotiating lump sum settlements.
- Any other issues that affect your claim.
Do you have a Delaware work injury police officer lawyer near me?
Silverman, McDonald, and Friedman meets police officers and families at our offices in:
- Wilmington: 1523 Concord Pike, Suite 400
- Seaford: 300 High Street
- Newark: 4134 Ogletown-Stanton Road
We also meet injured and ill police officers away from the office when necessary. Other consultation options include phone and video conferences.
We’re ready to answer all your questions and fight for the compensation you deserve.
Talk with our experienced Delaware police officer injury lawyers now
At Silverman, McDonald & Friedman, we’ve earned the respect of former clients, insurance companies, and the legal community for our record of strong workers’ compensation and personal injury recoveries. We understand the unique issues involved in representing police officers who protect us every day.
Please call us or fill out our contact form to schedule a free consultation. We represent police officers and families in workers’ compensation claims on a contingency fee basis.