Missouri Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

Workers injured on the job can often rely on their employer’s Missouri workers compensation insurance coverage to provide payments that cover lost wages and medical bills. Some workers, however, suffer a work injury that aggravates a previous disability or condition, causing much greater damage to the worker’s health than the work-related injury alone would have caused. For these workers, Missouri provides payments from the Second Injury Fund.

Unfortunately, the Second Injury Fund is on shaky financial ground, according to a recent article in the Columbia Missourian. Although lawmakers admit the problem has been brewing since the 1980s, when the fund started receiving more claims than it could handle, they have been slow to address the growing issue.

Currently, the Second Injury Fund is fed by a 3 percent surcharge that employers pay on their workers’ compensation insurance premiums. This three percent, however, isn’t enough to keep the fund afloat, so lawmakers are considering other options. These include:

• Increasing the surcharge to 5.8 percent;
• Adding a 4 percent surcharge for each of the next five years;
• Cutting benefits for people whose pre-existing condition was not also a work-related injury; or
• Dissolving the Second Injury Fund altogether.

Missouri workers would still have access to workers’ compensation payments, but not to the Second Injury Fund.

Workers’ compensation claims can be confusing, especially when your time and attention is focused on recovering from a serious injury. At Page Law, our experienced Missouri workers’ compensation attorneys can help you get the benefits you deserve. To learn more, call Page Law today at 314-322-8515 to schedule a free consultation.