This week, several dozen recipients of permanent disability traveled to Jefferson City to fight for Missouri’s Second Injury Fund.
The Second Injury Fund helps injured Missouri workers when a work-related injury exasperates the worker’s pre-existing disability. A work-related injury can be devastating. Furthermore, an individual’s condition with a pre-existing disability is frequently worsened by a work-related injury. The Second Injury Fund’s purpose is to compensate individuals who experience increased combined disability. Essentially, the Second Injury Fund pays for the increased disability.
Sweeping changes made in 2005 to the Missouri Worker’s Compensation Act have created adverse impacts for workers, including tougher standards for injured employees to qualify for workers’ compensation. These changes have affected this fund as well. The Second Injury Fund is funded by a surcharge paid by employers. The 2005 changes to the Missouri Worker’s Compensation Act placed a cap on the fund’s surcharge. As a result, the fund will likely owe around $20 million by the end of 2011.
(http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/print-edition/2011/02/18/missouri-second-injury-fund-suffers.html)
These dedicated individuals who traveled to Jefferson City hope to urge policy makers to continue supporting the fund. These people are advocates not only for their own interests but also for the interests of future workers like them. As a workers’ compensation attorney dedicated to serving the both Missouri and Illinois workers, I understand how these changes in legislation can impact an individual’s life. It is more important now than ever before that an injured worker choose a Missouri worker’s compensation attorney who will represent his/her rights.
Second Injury Fund Receipients Head to Jeff City, www.KSDK.com, March 16, 2011.