Brooklyn Workers’ Comp Lawyers
At Katz, Leidman, Freund & Herman, we understand the challenges faced by workers injured on the job throughout Brooklyn. For decades, our dedicated team of Brooklyn workers’ compensation lawyers has helped thousands of hardworking individuals secure the benefits they deserve after workplace accidents.
Whether you’ve been injured at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, hurt while working construction in Downtown Brooklyn, suffered an accident at the Gowanus Industrial Zone, or experienced injury in any workplace across the borough, our attorneys are here to guide you through the complex workers’ compensation system.
Financial Compensation You Can Pursue in a Brooklyn Workers’ Compensation Claim
At Katz, Leidman, Freund & Herman, we help injured Brooklyn workers secure various types of financial benefits through the workers’ compensation system. Here are the primary forms of compensation you may be entitled to receive:
- Medical Treatment Benefits: Coverage for all necessary medical care related to your workplace injury, including doctor visits, hospital stays, surgeries, prescription medications, physical therapy, and assistive devices.
- Temporary Disability Payments: Weekly cash benefits equal to two-thirds of your average weekly wage (subject to state maximums) while you’re unable to work during recovery from your workplace injury.
- Permanent Partial Disability Benefits: Compensation for lasting impairments that partially limit your ability to work, with amount and duration based on the affected body part and severity of disability.
- Permanent Total Disability Benefits: Ongoing weekly benefits for workers whose injuries prevent them from performing any type of gainful employment for the foreseeable future.
- Schedule Loss of Use Awards: One-time payments for permanent loss of function to specific body parts like limbs, fingers, vision, or hearing, calculated according to statutory guidelines.
- Vocational Rehabilitation Services: Financial support for retraining, education, or job placement assistance if you cannot return to your previous occupation due to your workplace injury.
- Death Benefits: Weekly payments to surviving dependents of workers who suffer fatal workplace injuries, along with a contribution toward funeral and burial expenses.
- Third-Party Claim Damages: In situations where someone other than your employer contributed to your injury, our Brooklyn workers’ compensation attorneys can pursue additional compensation through a separate personal injury lawsuit.
- Travel Expense Reimbursement: Coverage for transportation costs to and from medical appointments and treatment facilities related to your workplace injury.
- Disfigurement Benefits: Additional compensation for serious, permanent scarring or disfigurement, particularly when visible on the face, head, or neck.
As your Brooklyn workers’ compensation lawyer, we fight to ensure you receive every dollar of compensation you’re legally entitled to while you focus on your recovery. Contact our experienced attorneys today for a free consultation to discuss your specific workplace injury claim.
How Our Brooklyn Workers’ Comp Lawyers Can Maximize Your Compensation
As your Brooklyn workers’ compensation lawyer, Katz, Leidman, Freund & Herman employs proven strategies to help injured workers across the borough obtain the maximum benefits available under New York law.
- Thorough Investigation: Our attorneys conduct comprehensive investigations of workplace accidents, whether they occurred at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a construction site in Downtown Brooklyn, or a warehouse near the BQE, gathering crucial evidence that strengthens your claim.
- Proper Documentation: We ensure all medical records, incident reports, and witness statements are meticulously documented and submitted correctly to the Workers’ Compensation Board, preventing technical denials that frequently affect Brooklyn workers.
- Medical Treatment Coordination: Our Brooklyn workers’ compensation attorneys connect clients with appropriate healthcare providers throughout the borough who understand occupational injuries and how to document them effectively for claims purposes.
- Accurate Wage Calculation: We carefully analyze your pre-injury earnings to maximize your weekly benefit rate, ensuring overtime, bonuses, and other compensation elements are properly included according to New York State guidelines.
- Challenging Insurance Tactics: Our lawyers aggressively counter common insurance company strategies used to minimize Brooklyn workers’ claims, including premature termination of benefits, unjustified independent medical examinations, and misclassification of injuries.
- Experienced Hearing Representation: With decades of experience appearing before judges at the Brooklyn Workers’ Compensation Board, our attorneys provide powerful advocacy during hearings that directly impacts benefit determinations.
- Skilled Settlement Negotiation: When appropriate, our Brooklyn workers’ compensation lawyers negotiate structured settlements that provide long-term financial security rather than inadequate quick-fix offers from insurance companies.
- Third-Party Claim Coordination: We identify potential claims against parties other than your employer who may share responsibility for your workplace injury, potentially securing additional compensation beyond workers’ compensation benefits.
- Timely Appeals Process: When claims are denied or benefits are insufficient, we promptly initiate appeals and present compelling arguments to reverse unfavorable decisions affecting Brooklyn workers.
- Long-Term Disability Advocacy: For workers suffering permanent disabilities, our attorneys fight for appropriate classifications that maximize the duration and amount of your benefits under New York’s complex schedule loss guidelines.
From Greenpoint to Coney Island, Bushwick to Bay Ridge, our Brooklyn workers’ compensation attorneys have helped thousands of injured workers receive the full benefits they deserve. Contact Katz, Leidman, Freund & Herman today for a free consultation to discuss how we can maximize the compensation for your workplace injury claim.
Workers’ Compensation Cases We Take In Brooklyn
Our Brooklyn workers’ compensation lawyers at Katz, Leidman, Freund & Herman represent injured workers from diverse industries throughout the borough, fighting for the benefits they deserve after workplace accidents and injuries.
- Construction Site Accident Lawyer: Our Brooklyn construction worker injury lawyers represent construction workers injured at major Brooklyn development projects from Atlantic Yards to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, handling cases involving scaffold falls, structural collapses, equipment malfunctions, and OSHA violations that occur at worksites across Williamsburg, Downtown Brooklyn, and beyond.
- Warehouse Worker Injury Lawyer: Our Brooklyn warehouse workers injury lawyers advocate for warehouse employees suffering from lifting injuries, forklift accidents, and repetitive stress conditions in Brooklyn’s industrial areas including Sunset Park’s Industry City, Red Hook’s shipping facilities, and the distribution centers along Flushing Avenue.
- Brooklyn MTA Worker Injury Lawyer: We provide dedicated representation to transit workers injured while maintaining or operating Brooklyn’s extensive subway and bus infrastructure, from the Coney Island Rail Yard to the East New York Bus Depot, securing benefits for accidents occurring in tunnels, stations, and maintenance facilities.
- Brooklyn Healthcare Worker Injury Lawyer: Our Brooklyn workers’ compensation attorneys help nurses, aides, and other medical professionals injured at facilities like Maimonides Medical Center, Brookdale Hospital, and SUNY Downstate, addressing needle sticks, patient-handling injuries, workplace violence, and exposure to infectious diseases.
- Restaurant Worker Injury Lawyer: We represent kitchen staff, servers, and delivery workers injured in Brooklyn’s vibrant restaurant scene, from slip and falls at fine dining establishments in DUMBO to burn injuries in busy kitchens along Smith Street and burn injuries in commercial kitchens.
- Retail Worker Injury Lawyer: Our team handles claims for employees injured at Brooklyn’s shopping centers including Atlantic Center Mall, Fulton Mall, and Kings Plaza, addressing injuries from falling merchandise, repetitive motions, and customer interaction incidents.
- Manufacturing Worker Injury Lawyer: We advocate for workers injured in Brooklyn’s manufacturing facilities in areas like Greenpoint and the Brooklyn Army Terminal, securing compensation for machinery accidents, toxic exposure, and repetitive motion injuries common in production environments.
- Delivery Driver Injury Lawyer: Our Brooklyn workers’ compensation lawyers represent package and food delivery personnel injured while navigating Brooklyn’s busy streets from Bay Ridge to Bushwick, helping them secure benefits for vehicle accidents, slip and falls, and lifting injuries.
Whether you were injured working near the Gowanus Canal, along Brooklyn’s waterfront, or in any workplace across the borough, our experienced Brooklyn workers’ compensation attorneys have the knowledge and determination to handle your case. Contact Katz, Leidman, Freund & Herman today for a free consultation to discuss your workplace injury claim and learn how we can help secure the compensation you deserve.
Common Injuries Associated with Workers’ Comp Claims in Brooklyn
As experienced Brooklyn workers’ compensation lawyers, Katz, Leidman, Freund & Herman regularly assists clients who have suffered various workplace injuries throughout the borough, from construction sites in Downtown Brooklyn to healthcare facilities in East Flatbush.
- Back and Spinal Injuries: These debilitating conditions frequently occur among construction workers at Brooklyn development projects and warehouse employees in Industry City, often resulting from heavy lifting, falls from heights, or vehicle accidents while on the job.
- Repetitive Strain Injuries: Brooklyn office workers, manufacturing employees, and healthcare professionals commonly develop carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, and other repetitive motion injuries that can lead to chronic pain and limited function over time.
- Fractures and Broken Bones: Falls on construction sites near the Brooklyn waterfront, accidents with machinery in Sunset Park’s industrial zones, and workplace collisions frequently cause these painful injuries that often require surgery and extended recovery periods.
- Traumatic Brain Injuries: Construction workers at Brooklyn high-rise developments, MTA employees working in the borough’s transit infrastructure, and others may suffer concussions or more severe brain trauma from falling objects, falls, or workplace accidents.
- Burns and Scarring: Brooklyn restaurant workers, manufacturing employees, and construction workers face significant risk of thermal, chemical, and electrical burns that can cause permanent disfigurement and require extensive medical treatment.
- Respiratory Conditions: Workers exposed to dust, chemicals, and other harmful substances in Brooklyn’s industrial areas may develop occupational asthma, COPD, or other chronic respiratory problems that affect both their ability to work and quality of life.
- Amputation Injuries: Catastrophic accidents involving heavy machinery in Brooklyn’s manufacturing facilities, construction sites, and warehouses sometimes result in the loss of fingers, hands, limbs, or other body parts.
- Knee and Shoulder Injuries: Brooklyn healthcare workers, delivery drivers, and construction laborers frequently experience torn ligaments, damaged rotator cuffs, and other joint injuries that often require surgical intervention and physical therapy.
- Occupational Illnesses: Brooklyn workers exposed to toxic substances, infectious agents, or environmental hazards may develop cancer, hearing loss, vision impairment, or infectious diseases directly related to workplace conditions.
- Psychological Injuries: Traumatic workplace events, excessive stress, or chronic pain from physical injuries can lead Brooklyn workers to develop anxiety, depression, PTSD, or other mental health conditions that qualify for workers’ compensation benefits.
Our Brooklyn workers’ compensation attorneys understand how these injuries impact your ability to work and your quality of life. If you’ve been hurt on the job anywhere in Brooklyn—from Bushwick to Bay Ridge, Greenpoint to Gerritsen Beach—contact Katz, Leidman, Freund & Herman today for experienced representation in pursuing your workers’ compensation claim.
The Brooklyn Workers’ Compensation Claim Process
As your Brooklyn workers’ compensation lawyers, Katz, Leidman, Freund & Herman guides injured workers through each step of the claims process, ensuring proper procedures are followed and your rights are protected from initial injury to final resolution.
- Report the Injury: Notify your supervisor or employer immediately after a workplace accident occurs, whether at a construction site in DUMBO, a healthcare facility in Crown Heights, or any other Brooklyn workplace, as New York law requires reporting injuries within 30 days.
- Seek Medical Treatment: Visit an authorized healthcare provider who accepts workers’ compensation insurance to document your injuries and begin treatment, making sure to mention your injury is work-related at facilities like Brooklyn Hospital Center, NYU Langone-Brooklyn, or other local medical providers.
- File Form C-3: Complete and submit the Employee’s Claim for Compensation (Form C-3) to the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board within two years of your injury, which our Brooklyn workers’ compensation attorneys can help you prepare accurately.
- Employer’s Report: Your employer must file a First Report of Injury (Form C-2) with their workers’ compensation insurance carrier and the Workers’ Compensation Board within 10 days of learning about your workplace accident.
- Insurance Company Response: The insurance carrier must provide you with written notice of your rights within 14 days and accept or deny your claim within 18 days of receiving the employer’s report, often the first point where a Brooklyn workers’ compensation lawyer becomes essential.
- Medical Examinations: Attend all scheduled medical appointments and independent medical examinations (IMEs) requested by the insurance company, as failure to do so could jeopardize your Brooklyn workers’ compensation claim.
- Initial Benefits Determination: If your claim is accepted, you should begin receiving benefits within 18 days of your disability or 10 days after the employer is notified, whichever is later, though many Brooklyn workers face delays or denials requiring legal intervention.
- Workers’ Compensation Hearings: If your claim is disputed, you may need to attend hearings at the Brooklyn Workers’ Compensation Board office, where having an experienced Brooklyn workers’ compensation attorney representing you significantly improves your chances of a favorable outcome.
- Appeal Process: If you disagree with a decision regarding your claim, you can appeal through multiple levels, beginning with the Workers’ Compensation Board Panel and potentially proceeding to the Appellate Division, Third Department, of the New York State Supreme Court.
- Settlement Considerations: As your case progresses, our Brooklyn workers’ compensation lawyers will advise whether to consider settlement options such as a Section 32 Agreement or schedule loss of use award that may provide lump-sum payments.
What To Do If Your Brooklyn Workers’ Compensation Claim Is Denied
At Katz, Leidman, Freund & Herman, our Brooklyn workers’ compensation lawyers regularly help injured workers overcome claim denials, guiding them through the appeal process to secure the benefits they deserve after workplace accidents.
- Contact a Brooklyn Workers’ Compensation Attorney: Immediately consult with our experienced lawyers who can review your denial notice, identify the specific reasons for rejection, and develop a strategic plan to challenge the decision effectively.
- Request a Hearing: File a formal request for a hearing with the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board at their Brooklyn district office, where our Brooklyn workers’ compensation attorneys will present evidence and arguments supporting your claim.
- Gather Additional Medical Evidence: Work with our legal team to obtain comprehensive medical documentation from your healthcare providers in Brooklyn, potentially including specialists at facilities like NYU Langone-Brooklyn or SUNY Downstate Medical Center, to strengthen your case.
- Collect Witness Statements: Our Brooklyn workers’ compensation lawyers will help secure testimonies from coworkers who witnessed your accident at construction sites in Williamsburg, warehouses in Sunset Park, or any other Brooklyn workplace where your injury occurred.
- Address Technical Issues: If your claim was denied due to missed deadlines or incomplete paperwork, our attorneys will resolve these procedural matters and explain how the challenging circumstances of your injury at Brooklyn work sites affected timely filing.
- Challenge Independent Medical Examinations: If an insurance doctor’s assessment contradicts your treating physician’s opinion, our Brooklyn workers’ compensation lawyers will vigorously contest these findings and potentially request a different medical examination.
- Prepare Compelling Testimony: Work with our attorneys to develop clear, consistent testimony about how your injury occurred and its impact on your ability to work, whether you’re a construction worker from Bushwick, a healthcare provider from Crown Heights, or employed in any Brooklyn industry.
- Consider Settlement Options: Evaluate whether pursuing a Section 32 settlement might be advantageous in your denied claim situation, with our Brooklyn workers’ compensation attorneys calculating the appropriate value based on your specific injuries and circumstances.
- Appeal to the Workers’ Compensation Board Panel: If the initial hearing doesn’t resolve your claim favorably, our lawyers will file a timely appeal to the three-member Board Panel, presenting additional legal arguments supporting your right to benefits.
- Pursue Further Appeals if Necessary: Should your claim continue to be denied, our Brooklyn workers’ compensation attorneys can escalate your case to the Appellate Division, Third Department, of the New York State Supreme Court to seek justice for your workplace injury.
Get The Legal Help You Deserve Today
Get The Legal Help You Deserve Today Don’t face the workers’ compensation system alone after a workplace injury in Brooklyn. Our experienced attorneys at Katz, Leidman, Freund & Herman are ready to fight for your rights and maximize your benefits. Contact us today for a free, no-obligation consultation and put our decades of experience to work for you.
Legal Help in Brooklyn For:
- Brooklyn Construction Workers
- Brooklyn Warehouse Workers
- Brooklyn MTA Workers
- Brooklyn Healthcare Workers
FAQs About Workers’ Compensation in Brooklyn
How long do I have to file a workers’ compensation claim in Brooklyn?
You generally have two years from the date of your workplace accident to file a claim with the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board. However, you must notify your employer about the injury within 30 days. We recommend taking action as soon as possible to avoid potential complications with your claim.
Can I choose my own doctor for a workplace injury in Brooklyn?
Yes, you can choose your own doctor for treatment as long as they are authorized by the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board. Our Brooklyn workers’ compensation lawyers can help you find qualified medical providers in your neighborhood who specialize in occupational injuries.
Will I lose my job if I file a workers’ compensation claim?
New York law prohibits employers from terminating employees solely for filing workers’ compensation claims. If you believe you’ve experienced retaliation after reporting a workplace injury, our Brooklyn workers’ compensation attorneys can advise you on additional legal actions beyond your benefits claim.
What if my workplace accident was partially my fault?
Workers’ compensation in New York is a no-fault system, meaning you’re generally entitled to benefits regardless of who caused the accident. Even if you made a mistake that contributed to your injury, you can still pursue a valid claim with the help of our Brooklyn workers’ compensation lawyers.
Can undocumented workers receive workers’ compensation benefits in Brooklyn?
Yes, undocumented workers in New York have the same rights to workers’ compensation benefits as documented workers. Your immigration status should not affect your ability to receive medical treatment and wage replacement benefits after a workplace injury.
How much does it cost to hire a Brooklyn workers’ compensation attorney?
Our firm works on a contingency fee basis, meaning we only collect payment if we secure benefits for you. The fee is a percentage of your award set by the Workers’ Compensation Board, so there are no upfront costs to obtain legal representation for your claim.
What’s the difference between workers’ compensation and disability benefits?
Workers’ compensation specifically covers injuries and illnesses that arise from employment, providing medical benefits and wage replacement. Disability benefits cover non-work-related injuries and typically provide less coverage. Our Brooklyn workers’ compensation attorneys can help determine which program applies to your situation.
Can I still receive workers’ compensation if I’m getting Social Security benefits?
Yes, you can receive both workers’ compensation and Social Security Disability benefits simultaneously, though there may be some offset in the total amount. Our Brooklyn workers’ compensation lawyers can help coordinate these benefits to maximize your overall compensation.
Local Resources for Injured Workers in Brooklyn
Legal Resource
- Brooklyn Civil Courthouse
Address: 141 Livingston Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Phone: (347) 404-9123
Website: nyc.gov
Healthcare Facilities
- The Brooklyn Hospital Center
Address: 121 DeKalb Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Phone: (718) 250-8000
Website: tbh.org - NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn
Address: 150 55th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11220
Phone: (718) 630-7000
Website: nyulangone.org - Maimonides Medical Center
Address: 4802 10th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11219
Phone: (718) 283-2000
Website: maimo.org - NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital
Address: 506 6th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Phone: (718) 780-3000
Website: nyp.org/brooklyn - Kings County Hospital Center
Address: 451 Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203
Phone: (718) 245-3131
Website: nychealthandhospitals.org