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A vocational counselor found you a job after a work injury. Learn how Louisiana evaluates restrictions, wages, suitable work, and disputed benefits.

Workers’ compensation may be only the first part of an oilfield injury case. It can pay covered medical expenses and a portion of lost wages without requiring the worker to prove negligence. A separate claim may exist when another company, a defective product, or a driver outside the protected employment relationship helped cause the…

An employer may say that a job ended because the worker could no longer perform it. The worker may believe the real reason was the workers’ compensation claim. Those are different explanations, and the documents leading up to the decision matter more than either side’s label. Louisiana prohibits certain employment decisions made because someone…

A Louisiana workers’ compensation claim can involve several separate decisions: whether the employment and injury are covered, which medical services are owed, whether the worker qualifies for wage benefits, and how a disputed decision is challenged. An insurer’s agreement to pay one bill does not necessarily resolve the other questions. The statutes provide defined…

The first workday after an injury may bring practical questions that the accident report does not answer. Can you safely do the assigned job? Who has the doctor’s restrictions? Has anyone identified the insurer or arranged follow-up care? Address those questions while the details of the incident are still clear. This article focuses on…

“My employer filed the claim” can mean that an accident report reached the insurer. It does not necessarily mean a disputed claim has been filed with Louisiana’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration. Knowing which step has actually occurred matters when treatment or wage benefits are unpaid and a filing deadline is approaching. For an…

A diver may surface with an injury even when no one topside saw an accident. The dive profile, communications, equipment condition, and first symptoms can explain different parts of what happened. A report that says only “completed welding assignment” may leave out the facts that matter to both treatment and an injury claim. Underwater…

A longshoreman loads, unloads, or handles cargo moving between a vessel and the shore. The work may involve a ship’s hold, a dock, a crane, cargo lashings, or a terminal where containers are transferred. It is different from simply having a job near the Mississippi River or working for a business with “marine” in…

On February 3, 2026, a 42-inch natural gas pipeline ruptured near Mae’s Beach and Johnson Bayou in Cameron Parish. The fire burned for hours, one person was injured, and the federal pipeline-safety regulator ordered the operator to keep the affected segment shut down while it completed testing, a root-cause analysis, and a restart plan….

A workplace accident can create two different Louisiana claims. Workers’ compensation may provide medical care and wage benefits without requiring proof that the employer was negligent. A separate injury claim may exist when someone outside the protected employer relationship helped cause the accident. The practical challenge is not choosing one claim and ignoring the…

Last reviewed: September 26, 2026 Jones Act seaman status is not decided by a job title, the name of the facility, or the fact that an injury happened over water. The question is whether the worker’s actual employment had the kind of substantial connection to a vessel, or an identifiable fleet of vessels, that…

On April 18, 2022, a chlorine release and fire at the Plaquemine chemical complex led to shelter orders and road closures. A later Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality settlement agreement states that 6,512 pounds of chlorine were released and that Iberville Parish estimated 6,395 households were affected by the shelter-in-place order. The event is…

The best workers’ compensation lawyer for one injured employee may be a poor fit for another. A useful consultation should help you understand the disputed issue, the next decision, and who will do the work. It should not feel like a sales presentation built around a promised result. Louisiana workers’ compensation has its own…

Restaurant work combines wet floors, sharp tools, hot equipment, heavy trays, lifting, and repetitive motion. An injury can happen in seconds, while the claim that follows depends on details that are easy to lose during a busy shift. The first priorities are medical care, prompt notice to the employer, and a reliable record of…

If you are considering a lawyer for a Louisiana workers’ compensation claim, ask for the fee agreement before you sign. State law limits an employee’s attorney fee to 20% of the amount recovered, but the percentage alone does not tell you which benefits are included, when a fee is paid, or who pays case…