WORKERS’ COMPENSATION: HOUSING MODIFICATIONS
No one expects to be in a work accident. If and when it happens, sometimes the accident can be so severe an injured worker can end up in a wheelchair as a result of the accident. In Florida, the law requires the workers’ compensation insurance company (known as the carrier), to modify the wheelchair-bound injured workers’ home according to the authorized doctor’s recommendations and the worker’s medical needs. The carrier’s obligation is to provided modified housing which ordinarily means the difference between the cost of the injured worker’s current home and the expense of a home fully-handicapped equipped for the injured worker’s medical needs [see Ramada Inn South Airport v. Lamourex, 565 So. 2d 376, 377 (Fla. 1st DCA 1990)]. A new home is a medical benefit that a Judge of Compensation Claims will award in these circumstances only when the injured worker’s existing home cannot be modified, such as by adding a wheelchair ramp and additional space [see Adams Bldg. Materials, Inc. v. Brooks, 892 So.2d 527 (Fla. 1st DCA 2004)].
If you have questions about what medical benefits you are entitled to after your work accident, call to speak to a workers’ compensation attorney at Harris Guidi Rosner for a free consultation or email mills@harrisguidi.com for a free evaluation of your case.
