Workers' Compensation Claims Fall Dramatically
Across Florida and across the United States, the number of workers' compensation claims has fallen dramatically over the past several years. In South Florida, cities like Boca Raton, Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach and Delray Beach, are suffering from high unemployment. If unemployment is high, it is axiomatic that less persons are working, so fewer persons are getting injured on the job. Attorney Randy Zeldin, a workers' compensation attorney and lawyer, attributes the drop in workers' compensation claims to employee fear of retaliation. In a fragile economy, injured workers often fear that if they obtain legal representation and seek all the benefits to which they are entitled under the law, they will lose their job.
According to Randy Zeldin, Esq., workers' compensation lawyer and attorney, it is a violation of the law for an employer to retaliate against any worker for pursuing workers' compensation benefits. Prohibited employer conduct includes job demotion, unreasonable hours, verbal or other harassment and of course, outright termination.
Although there are other factors which have diminished workers' compensation claims, such as improved safety and more automation, the absence of employment in Broward and Palm Beach counties is the primary reason for the fall in workers' compensation claims.
