This question has been asked by countless employees who have been injured on the job and believe it was caused by their employer’s negligence. Outside of an employment situation, like a car accident, slip and fall, or medical injury, negligence can be a reason that the injured party seeks damages against the responsible person in court. Therefore, most people think the same rights exist when someone is injured at work and their employer was negligent. However, that is not the case. 

Workers’ compensation covers benefits for employees who have suffered work-related injuries and illnesses. While certain exceptions occur, the point of workers’ compensation is to ensure that those injured on the job receive monetary aid as they recover. 

Injured workers in Florida are entitled to two different categories of lost wages: medical and indemnity. Strictly speaking, “lost wages” most often refers to indemnity benefits. These money benefits are provided to injured workers when they are no longer working due to their injury.