Undefeated Odessa Workers’ Compensation Lawyers

Workers in Odessa, Texas, have rights. This is particularly true when you suffer an injury or become ill because of an accident at work. However, it can be difficult to exhaust your options and obtain the significant financial award you deserve on your own. The Odessa workers’ compensation lawyers at Zehl & Associates Injury & Accident Lawyers can help you make the most of a difficult situation.

Since 2006, Zehl & Associates  has been a trusted advocate for injured workers and grieving families in Odessa and across the State of Texas. Determined to help everyday people level the playing field against powerful employers and insurance companies, we’ve successfully won billions for clients like you – including some of the largest recoveries in our state’s history.

Find out how we can help you make the most of your fight for workers’ compensation benefits by contacting our Odessa, TX, law office today at 432-220-0000. Your first consultation is 100 percent free.

Table of Contents

• How Zehl & Associates Injury & Accident Lawyers Can Help You Get Workers’ Compensation Benefits in Odessa, TX
• What Is Workers’ Compensation?
• What Benefits Will Workers’ Compensation Pay to an Injured Worker in Odessa?
• How Long Do I Have To Pursue Workers’ Compensation Benefits After I’m Hurt on the Job in Odessa, Texas?
• Schedule a Free Consultation With a Record-Setting, Undefeated Odessa Workers’ Compensation Lawyer 

How Zehl & Associates Injury & Accident Lawyers Can Help You Get Workers’ Compensation Benefits in Odessa, TX

Workers’ compensation can be a lifeline when you find yourself dealing with crippling injuries and unable to work. However, the path to getting workers’ comp benefits is often an uphill battle and provides only a small fraction of what you’d be able to recover in a personal injury lawsuit.

That’s where an undefeated Odessa personal injury attorney can help. At Zehl & Associates, we have decades of experience taking on the largest companies in the nation and recovering the maximum compensation possible for our clients. With our fearless pursuit of justice and record-setting results, we have been repeatedly recognized by Super Lawyers, the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, the National Trial Lawyers, and other top legal organizations as one of the best law firms in Texas.

When you ask for our help, we do whatever it takes to secure the full compensation possible and are here for you and your family every step of the way:  

• We ensure that injured workers receive the best medical care possible and that their medical bills and reasonable living expenses are paid while their case is pending.
• We assemble a team of the best lawyers, engineers, and safety experts in the country to determine what really happened and how it should have been prevented.
• We assess your damages, identify all parties who share blame, file a lawsuit to recover all the damages you are entitled to, and handle all negotiations with the responsible parties and their insurers and lawyers. We cannot be outworked, outmaneuvered, or intimated.
• We NEVER settle for less than the maximum compensation you deserve for all of your injuries and losses. We prepare every case for trial, where we remain undefeated to this day.

After a work accident, the truth is you cannot rely on your employer, their insurance company, or workers’ comp benefits.  With your future on the line, you need a legal team with the resources, knowledge, and experience to stand up, fight, and win.

Contact our law office today to learn more about why you will want our workers’ compensation attorneys in Odessa in your corner. Members of our team are always available to answer your call.

We represent clients for no up-front fees. Our contingency fee structure means you only pay when we win compensation for you.

What Is Workers’ Compensation?

Workers’ compensation is a private insurance system designed to benefit workers and employers when an on-the-job injury or illness occurs. Workers can get benefits without the time, hassle, and expense of a lawsuit. At the same time, employers are protected from litigation. 

However, in Texas, workers’ compensation tends to be optional. Most employers have the right to opt out of the workers’ compensation insurance system and either find independent coverage or risk litigation when an employee is hurt at work.

Do I Qualify for Workers’ Compensation?

As long as your employer subscribes to workers’ compensation, you may have the right to obtain benefits if you:

• Are classified as an employee, rather than an independent contractor, and
• Suffer a work-related injury or illness

If your employer is a workers’ compensation non-subscriber, you will not qualify for benefits. In these situations, you would reserve the right to seek benefits from another type of protective insurance policy or sue your employer if their negligence contributed to your workplace injury or illness.

What’s a Job-Related Injury or Illness?

Only certain injuries are covered by workers’ compensation. In order to qualify for benefits, your injury or illness must have been sustained while you were performing tasks or responsibilities related to your course of employment or at the specific instruction of your employer.

You don’t necessarily have to be at work to qualify for benefits. Your accident/injury/illness must simply be related to your work responsibilities. 

For instance, you may qualify for workers’ compensation benefits if you’re injured in a car accident while running errands for your employer. However, you wouldn’t qualify if you got into a crash on your lunch break or while running your own personal errands on company time.

Can I Sue My Employer and Get Workers’ Compensation?

Typically speaking, no. If your employer has workers’ compensation, you won’t be able to sue them for your workplace accident, even if they caused it. There are limited exceptions, like violations of state law or intentionally harmful conduct.

Just because you can’t file a lawsuit against your employer does not mean you can’t sue at all. You will still reserve the right to file a lawsuit against another liable party, such as an equipment manufacturer, motorist, or property owner.

Can I Get Benefits if I Caused My Workplace Injury?

Yes. Workers’ compensation is a no-fault system. You can generally recover benefits even if your own negligence contributed to or caused your accident. Note that there are limited exceptions here, too, such as if you intentionally harm yourself.

However, Texas’s modified comparative negligence statute will apply to civil workplace accident lawsuits filed outside of the workers’ compensation system. Under that law, you cannot be 51% or more at fault for the accident to recover damages.

What Benefits Will Workers’ Compensation Pay to an Injured Worker in Odessa?

Workers’ compensation is an independent system of benefits for injured and sick workers in Texas. So, the types of compensation you can receive are quite different from what you’d be able to recover through a personal injury lawsuit.

Benefits include compensation for medical bills, lost wages, disability, and death. All benefits are subject to certain limitations and restrictions. So, it can often be helpful to explore additional options for getting compensation to ensure you’re able to cover the full extent of your workplace accident damages.

Medical Benefits

You’re entitled to compensation for the costs of all necessary and reasonable medical treatment, which could include:

• Hospitalization
• Surgical procedures
• Prescription medication
• Medical devices
• Prosthetics
• Rehabilitation
• Chiropractic treatment

What’s “reasonable” and “necessary” will be determined by your treating physician. You can’t just go to any doctor of your choosing for treatment. Your provider must be approved by the insurance company. This can limit your options and the ability to control the type of treatment you receive. Costs of treatment from a non-approved provider will not be covered by workers’ compensation.

Temporary Income Benefits

If your injury prevents you from working or limits how much you can work for more than 8 days, you may qualify for Temporary Income Benefits  (TIBs). Temporary Income Benefits equal 70 percent of the difference between your average weekly wage (AWW) and what you’re capable of earning now. Texas limits the benefits you can receive. For 2024, the maximum weekly TIBs benefit is $1.174.00.

You may qualify to receive 75 percent of the difference in your wages if you were injured after September 14, 2015 and earn less than $10 an hour.

TIBs can be paid until a doctor determines that you’re fit to return to work or full duty or for a maximum of 104 weeks.

Impairment Income Benefits

Sometimes, an injury will affect your ability to work, even after you’ve achieved Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI). In these situations, you’ll receive an Impairment Rating on a scale of 1 to 100 from your doctor. 

Impairment income benefits  (IIBs) are available based on your level of impairment. You’ll get 3 weeks of benefits (caluclated to equal 70 percent of your average weekly wage) for every one percent of impairment. The higher your rating, the longer you’ll be able to receive benefits.

Once Impairment Income Benefits run out, you may qualify to receive Supplemental Income Benefits (SIBs) to help offset your continued loss of income.

Lifetime Income Benefits

Lifetime Income Benefits (LIBs) can be paid if you suffer a catastrophic injury resulting in the loss of a limb, paralysis, neurological damage, or visual impairment. LIBs equal 75 percent of your average weekly wage with a 3 percent annual increase.

How Long Do I Have To Pursue Workers’ Compensation Benefits After I’m Hurt on the Job in Odessa, Texas?

Whether you were hurt in a construction accident, in a slip and fall at your workplace, or experienced devastating burns in an oilfield explosion, it’s important to take prompt legal action.

Under Texas state law, you have 30 days to notify your employer of your injuries. Then, you’ll have one year from the date of your workplace accident to file a claim for workers’ compensation benefits. The time limit to file a personal injury lawsuit, if you are eligible, is generally two years in Texas.

If you miss the appropriate time window(s) for your case, you will not be eligible to recover the compensation you need. Contact our law offices as soon as you can after a workplace injury to confirm the time limit for your specific circumstances, as there are rare exceptions. 

Schedule a Free Consultation With a Record-Setting, Undefeated Odessa Workers’ Compensation Lawyer 

With decades of experience and Billions won on behalf of injured workers across Texas, including some of the largest settlements and verdicts in history,  our undefeated Texas trial attorneys have the resources, experience, and ability to stand up against the largest companies in the world and make sure that our clients and their families receive the maximum compensation possible.

If you or a loved one were injured at work or diagnosed with an occupational illness or disease, call our Odessa workers’ compensation lawyers to set up your free consultation at 1-888-603-3636 or by Clicking Here.

We’ll answer your questions, explain your rights, and provide you with all the information you need to make the best decision for you and your family.

All consultations are free, and you won’t pay us a dime unless we win your case.