Ask him or her if they wouldn’t mind taking a small paycut if they got injured at work. Ask them If they can survive on $546.00 per week. Ask them what they would do with their car note, house note, and how they would feed their family. As of September 1, 2008, any worker who is injured in Louisiana is entitled to 66 and 2/3 percent of their average weekly wage up to a maximum of $546.00 per week.
That’s right, if you are a high wage earner, say $1000.00 per week, your maximum workers comp benefits would be $546.00. Try living on half of your wages for a couple of months. Try a couple of years. That is what seriously injured workers have to do if they are injured on the job and unable to return to work.
Ask your legislator why we have such a strange law that does not protect the injured worker. Ask your legislator to change this law.
Richard J. Arsenault, 2011
