If you are injured in an accident at work you may be entitled to receive Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit. This is a no fault, non-means tested, tax free and non-contributory benefit. Despite these advantages, many who are injured at work fail to apply for this benefit and may be missing out on an entitlement to hundreds even thousands of pounds. The good news is that you can still apply even if the accident was some years ago as there are generally no time limits on applications.
Once it has been established that there has been an industrial accident, it is then necessary to assess the extent to which this has resulted in some disablement. The applicant is assessed by a doctor who then ascribes a percentage figure to their disability. To qualify for benefits the disablement must be assessed at a minimum of 14%. Certain conditions have fixed levels of disability (for example, loss of a thumb is 30% or total loss of an arm is 90%) but generally the figure will be based upon the medical examination.
