If you work cleaning motels and hotels here in Virginia, you do lots of heavy lifting, twisting and bending — every shift. Each mattress you flip and bed you make adds more strain to your back.
Eventually, it will all catch up with you, and your body will rebel. Or, you may suddenly injure your back by lifting too much of a load. But what can hotel workers do when their bodies no longer allow them to work?
It may be time to file a claim for benefits
One thing is for sure — the bills will still be coming each month, despite your sore back or neck. That’s why filing a claim for workers’ compensation is vital to your financial picture.
Don’t feel guilty for filing a claim if your on-the-job injuries make it too painful for you to continue working at your usual tasks. Injured workers may be able to continue working in some capacity, e.g., light duty, but other times they are left in too much pain to manage at all.
Workers’ comp is your sole recourse
The whole point of workers’ compensation benefits is for injured workers to have a path to justice that does not involve suing the companies they work for. Employers pay for coverage, which in turn makes them immune to almost all lawsuits from their workers.
If you can no longer do the job you were hired for because you got hurt at work, you may be able to seek compensation and other benefits like medical treatment for your injuries. There is even coverage for future medical needs for permanently disabled workers. Learn more about your right to file for workers’ comp benefits if your injuries are keeping you from work.
