When you suffer a heart attack, you’ll likely be worried about how you’ll continue to support yourself and your family while you’re out of work. If your heart attack was related to your job in some way, there may be some good news.

North Carolina employers are required to provide workers compensation coverage. This helps protect employees who become injured or fall ill because of their jobs. If we are able to demonstrate that your heart attack stems from your work requirements, you may be eligible for financial compensation.

Expect the Insurer to Fight Your Claim

Heart attacks that are proven to be caused by the requirements of a job should be covered under workers compensation policies in North Carolina. But that doesn’t mean the insurer is going to agree. In fact, heart attacks are among the most frequently denied work illnesses because of how difficult it can be to prove that a heart attack was caused by a job.

Heart attacks can be caused by a number of different things, including smoking, poor diet, and lack of exercise, as well as stressful work conditions. The insurer may offer its own explanation as to what could’ve caused your heart attack.

To combat this, your attorney will gather the appropriate medical documentation and other evidence to establish that if it hadn’t been for your work responsibilities, you wouldn’t have had a heart attack.

What Your Work Comp Benefits Can Cover

When your claim is approved, you will start receiving two-thirds of your average weekly earnings to replace your lost wages while you recover.

You can also expect the workers comp insurer to cover all of the medical expenses that stem from the heart attack. This might include hospital bills, medications, surgeries, ambulance fees, and more.

Spouses and minor children of an employee who dies from a work-related heart attack may be entitled to death benefits that can cover some the deceased’s lost income and burial expenses.