Working in a loud manufacturing environment with machine motors roaring constantly takes a toll on your hearing over time. If you have spent 20 or more years in this situation, you can expect it to eventually harm your hearing. This is a type of injury that New York workers’ compensation will typically cover.
As with any occupational-related injury, there are exceptions and rules that workers’ compensation puts into place, so you need to be aware of them. This will help you to make the best claim and move things along a little more quickly in the process. Here are three points to keep in mind.
- You do not have to miss work
With an occupational illness, according to the Workers’ Compensation Board, you do not have to miss work due to the condition to qualify for benefits. With another type of injury, you may miss work right after it happens and possibly for some time following, but an occupational illness does not affect you in the same way, which is why missing work is not a requirement.
- There is a waiting period
You will need to know your date of disability when filing your claim. This date comes from the waiting period you must observe before filing a claim. This is specific to hearing loss claims.
Once you realize you have hearing loss, you have to wait three months to file a claim. At the start of the three-month period, you should either remove yourself from the noisy environment by leaving the job or your employer will move you to another position away from the offending noise. The end of this three-month period is your disability date.
- You must file on time
As with any type of workers’ compensation claim, there is a time limit for filing your claim. This is more complicated with occupational diseases because they do not occur in an instant but happen over time. With that in mind, you have to make your claim within two years from the time you should have known or did know the issue was a work-related condition or two years from your disability, whichever is later.
Hearing loss workers’ compensation claims are much different than many other types. Make sure you are aware of the special details when preparing such a claim.