Many wage earners are entitled to benefits if they become disabled. A worker's family may also be entitled to benefits if the worker dies.

A worker may be entitled to Workers' Compensation, Social Security and a variety of possible other disability insurance benefits. You may be entitled to more than one type of benefit.

You must give very prompt notice of your injury to your employer or in some cases to an insurance company to protect your right to claim benefits. The time and way you give notice to your employer or the insurance company depends upon the kind of injury you have received and upon whether you were hurt. Do not wait to take action to protect your claim. Under some types of claims for disability if you don't file your notice with the right person or company you may lose your right to file your claim or your suit. If you don't file your claim or suit on time, you may lose your right to collect any money for your injury.

Even if your accident was your fault, you may still be able to receive benefits. If your injury was the fault of someone else, you may have a negligence claim against that person or company or their insurance company.

You may also be entitled to recover benefits under Workers' Compensation, Social Security, Veterans Benefits, and many disability plans if you are sick. Your right to recover depends upon your timely filing of the correct notices and claims and the reason for your illness.

It is important that you understand that even if you are receiving one type of benefit, you may also be entitled to other types of benefits, but you must timely file your claims and notices for each type of disability benefits. You may be entitled to both temporary and permanent benefits. If your injury lasts for only a short time you may only receive temporary benefits.

As an injured employee, you have many rights. For example, if a person were fired from their job because of filing a Workers' Compensation Claim, that person would be entitled to be protected by the National Labor Relations Board.

Because of the many time restrictions imposed by Federal and Tennessee State Laws and the number of different possible programs for an injured or sick employee, you should promptly consult an attorney to protect all of your various disability benefit rights.

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The information available through TBALink LawBytes is basic legal information and is not a substitute for legal advice. LawBytes is provided by the Tennessee Bar Association as a public service and for general information only. It should not be considered legal advice. You should consult your attorney if you have questions concerning any specific situation. If you do not have an attorney, may we suggest that you contact your local bar association's referral service. The topics covered through TBALink LawBytes will provide basic information and should make it easier for someone with a problem to decide whether they need professional help from a lawyer or if another agency could provide them with assistance.