Should you take a lump-sum settlement?

| Sep 7, 2020 | Workers' Compensation

After you got injured on the job, you were offered a lump-sum settlement. You know that you don’t have to take it, but it’s tempting. You need money, after all, and you’d rather just get this finished. Should you take it?

Every situation is different. A lump sum may well be in your best interests. But it also may not. Let’s take a look at why not.

One of the biggest reasons is time. For instance, say that you suffered a brain injury. Most of the time, it takes a minimum of six months just to see how well your healing has progressed. But that time frame is never certain. You could see changes in your condition for years to come.

So, if you take that lump sum, will it really cover all of the costs that you have? What if you take it after six months, but then you regress? The doctors tell you that you need another major surgery. This is not part of your lump sum, but, since you accepted it, you may not be able to get any compensation.

Or, you may anticipate heading back to work shortly. You take the lump sum, which helps cover lost wages. Then, recovery does not go as smoothly as you first assumed. You’re actually not able to start working again when you wanted to. As the days and months go by, you’re losing out on still more wages — but, with the lump sum already in place, you can’t get compensation for that time.

Basically, the problem is that you have to predict the future. That’s very hard to do. Make sure you carefully consider all of your options to seek the best possible outcome.

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