Disability can be even more devastating when it affects a young worker. According to a study, when workers between the age of 16 and 24 suffer a brain injury, there is a significant toll on workers’ compensation costs as well as costs from lost days at work.
The study finds that there is a significantly higher cost when workers in this age group suffer a brain injury. The study focused on traumatic brain injury (TBI) among young workers in Washington, and the data specifically focused on workers between the age of 16 and 24 during a 10-year period between 1998 and 2008.
About Brain Injuries
Traumatic brain injuries occur when a person suffers a strike or jolt to the head that disrupts normal brain function. Not every blow to the head will result in a TBI, and not all brain injuries are the same in severity.
For example, concussions are “mild” forms of traumatic brain injury. Severe TBI, however, can result in extensive and long-term effects on a person’s cognitive functions.
Young Workers and Brain Injury
Most cases involving young workers and workplace brain injury involved injuries during a fall accident or when workers were hit by objects or flying debris. The researchers found that out of the 270 work-related traumatic brain injury cases they identified, as many as 61.5% included brain injury along with other trauma.
Fall accidents are the single biggest contributor to brain injuries, spinal cord injuries and other injuries that often result in disability. These falls can be especially injurious when they occur from an elevation, or from a ladder, and can result in substantial injuries that can impair a person’s ability to return to work and earn a livelihood.
Traumatic Brain Injury and Social Security Disability
These persons may apply for Social Security disability benefits. The Social Security Administration provides for disability benefits for workers who have sustained a serious brain injury in the workplace.
If your brain injury has resulted in cognitive damage, personality changes, mood changes, difficulty in communication or language, difficulty in movement of the arms and legs, and other types of symptoms that can significantly impair your ability to work, then you may be eligible for benefits.
M. Stanley Whitehead is a Houston Social Security disability benefits lawyer, committed to representing persons who have had their disability claims rejected, and helping them recover the benefits that are rightfully theirs. If you have had your Social Security claim denied, contact me for a free consultation.
