Lakeland Legal Issues Blog

Maybe you are waiting until you understand the Social Security Disability application process better. Maybe you simply have too much to do at the moment. Regardless of the reason you are putting it off, our team at Kaylor, Kaylor & Leto, P.A., would like to send you one simple message: It would probably be a good idea to act soon. 

If you are like most people who are considering applying for Social Security Disability benefits, then you probably have a lot to handle. Any disability would probably have a profound impact on how you live your life. That is exactly why the program exists: To help you get your life back on track.

Many forms of discrimination involve unfairly punishing someone due to the person's gender, race, nationality or sexual orientation. However, the increasing use of genetic information reveals another way that employers discriminate against current or prospective workers. It is important that Florida residents understand that their genetic information should never be used against them in hiring, firing or promotional decisions.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) explains that genetic information can include not just information about a person, but also describe the person’s family genetic history. If your employer was to gain access to this information and discover that members of your family through the years acquired a specific disease or ailment, your employer might conclude that you run the risk of manifesting the malady yourself. While this is not true of every employer, some might consider a worker to be at risk for a hereditary health issue and decide to fire the person or sanction the worker in some way.

If you are employed in Florida, you may well work for a company that is required to carry workers' compensation insurance. This is a special form of insurance designed to assist employees who have been injured in an accident at work or during the course of performing their jobs. One of the types of benefits provided by workers' compensation is the replacement of wages that you may earn if you cannot work because of your injury. 

As explained by the Florida Division of Workers' Compensation, there are four categories of wage-loss replacement benefits available under the program. Two of these categories pertain to injuries that are said to be temporary instead of permanent. If you are able to work in a limited capacity after your injury, you might qualify for temporary partial disability benefits. If you cannot work at all after your injury but are expected to recover, you may qualify for temporary total disability benefits. Temporary benefits may be available for up to 104 weeks.

One of the keys to maintaining a safe industrial workplace in Florida is keeping the equipment used on the job in good condition. However, machinery does not last forever, and when the time arrives, your company should replace the equipment with a new and safe model. Since malfunctioning equipment can seriously injure a worker or possibly cause death, it is crucial to recognize when the machinery at your workplace may be breaking down.

Industrial Safety & Hygiene News explains that industrial equipment has a normal operating lifespan. By checking the documents that come with the machinery, employers can tell how long the equipment will last before it may start to malfunction. However, using machinery for long periods of time or in difficult environments may wear it out even sooner than the documented lifespan. Regardless, being aware of how industrial equipment lasts tells companies and employers when they should consider replacing it before something goes wrong.