04 Sep Workers’ Compensation Claims Skyrocket from Correctional Facilities Workers

If you had to think of some of the most stressful jobs, working in corrections would probably top the list. Bloom Law Office has helped many correctional facilities workers with their workers’ compensation claims and only gets paid if you do. Recent statistics have shown that, in New York, in particular, employees in correctional facilities are filing workers’ comp claims at an alarming rate.

In 2017, correction department workers in the state filed 24 percent more workers’ comp claims than in the past year. That’s $5.3 million in medical expenses and lost wages as reported by the Law Department. A total of 5,006 claims were filed compared to 4,026 in 2016.

Rising Numbers of Workers’ Compensation Claims

The vast majority of claims were because of “inmate-related incidents.” That also seems to be on the rise with 2,086 in 2017 compared to 1,947 in 2016. In 2015, there were 1,263 such incidents. The Correction Department has tried to say that the numbers are actually the same, considering 2,000 new employees were hired in the past 18 months. However, labor leaders have said that “assaults against correction officers have skyrocketed” and that’s the cause of the spike. According to Elias Husamudeen, the president of the Correction Officers Benevolent Association, “they have gone up every single year.”

The attacks are brutal. In July at Rikers Island, an inmate slashed a corrections officer on the face as he tried to break up a fight that included around one dozen inmates. Still, the inmate population continues to decrease. Recently, there was a ban on solitary confinement by the mayor for inmates younger than 21. Husamudeen says, “Taking that away from us was like taking a gun from a police officer and putting him in a crime-infested neighborhood.”

Get Help Filing A Workers’ Compensation Claim – Complimentary Consultations at Bloom Law Office

No matter where you work or how the injury at work occurred, having a workers’ comp attorney on your side is the best way to get a fair and fast award. Get in touch with Bloom Law Office today and get help on your side.