Employer-Provided Short Term and Long Term Disability has the Right to Be Reimbursed under Florida Law
If you are injured in an automobile accident in Florida, there is a good chance that it will affect many areas of your life including your ability to work.
Many companies provide short-term disability and long-term disability insurance coverage for their employees in the event they become disabled. If an employer’s disability insurance carrier pays employee for lost wages as a result of an accident, Florida law allows the disability carrier to be reimbursed in the event a settlement is reached or a judgment is made against an at-fault party or their insurance.
What does this mean?
If you are put on short-term or long-term disability by your employer and also make a claim for lost wages against an at-fault driver’s insurance, you must notify your employers disability carrier that a claim is being made against and at-fault driver by certified letter. If, after 30 days, they do not respond they are considered to have waived any right to be reimbursed. However, if they notify you that they wish to be reimbursed, they are entitled to be compensated any benefits they provided as a result of the car accident and must be reimbursed prior to your receipt of settlement or judgment funds.
Need Help?
Navigating the intricate web of Florida law can be difficult when dealing with employer provided disability benefits received as a result of your being disabled in a car accident. That is why hiring a qualified automobile accident attorney is so important. If you are receiving lost wage or healthcare benefits from an employer as a result of an accident, please contact Michles & Booth for a free consultation to see how we may help you deal with your employer’s disability insurer and to discuss your options going forward.
