Filing For Workers’ Compensation For Minors

A lot of young people enter the workforce around the same time that they get their driver’s license. With more independence comes more responsibility, but teens are often vulnerable in the workforce because they lack experience. This lack of experience commonly leads to injuries on the job, and if your child is under the age of 18, you might wonder how you can help them get compensation if they suffered a severe injury that affects their ability to work or complete school.

Minnesota has some unique laws when it comes to how minors are viewed by the workers’ compensation system. We take a closer look at how minors can get compensation, and what you should do if your child is injured on the job in this blog.

Minors and Work Injuries

Minnesota workers’ compensations laws grant protections to all employees, even if they aren’t legally considered an adult in the eyes of the court. For good reason, Minnesota has additional protections for minors who are injured on the job. Under normal circumstances, wage loss benefits are calculated based on time missed and normal pay rates. However, minors often work fewer hours for less money than an adult, so if Becky is making $70 a week, it wouldn’t make sense to only calculate her injuries at $280 if she broke her ankle and missed a month of work.

Another way to think of it is like this – If a minor suffers an injury on the job and is unable to work or is permanently affected for the rest of their lives, it’s unfair to base compensation on the low wage that the minor was earning at the time of the injury. This also discourages employers from using young, inexperienced workers to perform dangerous tasks. All relevant factors must be considered when calculating compensation for a minor, including:

Current earnings
Potential future earnings
Medical expenses
Disability rating
Rehabilitation costs
Other lifestyle factors, like missed school, lifestyle adjustments, etc.

Contact An Attorney For A Teen Workers’ Compensation Case

Because of all the factors that need to be considered, and because the cases are complex, the best thing you can do if your child is injured on the job is to contact a workers’ compensation lawyer. At Margolis Law Firm, we have helped minors get the compensation they deserve for their injuries. All of the relevant factors will be considered, and we’ll develop a case that will get you the compensation to cover all your expenses and then some.

In many instances, a company’s insurer will try to settle the case, but don’t sign anything without talking to a lawyer. These settlement offers are usually notoriously low, and if you don’t truly understand the scope of your child’s injuries, it may not be nearly enough compensation for what they’ve experienced. We know how to push back against the insurance company and we’re not afraid to take the case before a judge if that’s the best way to get your child the compensation they rightfully deserve. We’ll also stay in close contact with a parent or a guardian, because they may be appointed as an overseer in the event that the minor receives a substantial amount of money.

If your child was injured at work, don’t just tell them to buck up and deal with it. Injuries at this stage of life can have long-term consequences, so make sure they get the compensation they deserve. To speak to a workers’ compensation and receive a free case evaluation, contact Dean Margolis and his team today at (952) 230-2700.