If you've been injured on the job, the severity and longevity of the injury can have a devastating effect on the rest of your life. Recovering and getting back to earning an income is important, but you need to know how the injuries may affect your ability to earn and maintain your lifestyle as life goes on.

Take into considering the following financial points as you progress through the workers compensation system and work on a plan for protecting your future financial security:

Estimate The Cost Of Pain

Extreme injuries can be easier to deal with in terms of cost analysis for the victim; the confusing part comes from injuries that you can walk away from. How do you put a price tag on something when you can go back to work? It isn't easy, but there are a few area that you can use for counting.

• Pain medication. Pain medication may be cheap when compared to a hospital stay, but the costs add up. A container of pills can run anywhere from $2 to $10, and are often somewhere in between. If you consider the amount of pills needed in a month and stretch it out to the rest of your life, an injury that you can walk away from can still cost thousands of dollars.
• Specialists related to pain. If you need to visit a chiropractor or return to a pain doctor for medication, your workers compensation may already be exhausted and the cost may come out of pocket. An issue that can be handled easier if you bring it up before signing away workers compensation claims.
• Self-medication. Many people turn to drugs or alcohol for pain relief. Such coping mechanism can lead to more expensive health risks and financial instability if not planned properly. When combined with physical pain and mental anxiety from the situation, it can be difficult to manage.

Measure Your Promotion Potential

Has your injury affected your ability to work? Your co-workers and superiors may notice, and that may have a serious impact on what you can earn at work.

Even if there are protection programs in place to mitigate discrimination based on injuries and other disabilities, performance can still lead to subconscious decisions about your promotion potential.

If you're invested in your company, it may not even be about promotion alone. If you're working slower, your company isn't as productive and the whole team loses out. Beyond workers compensation, look towards personal injury claims and training programs that can get you up to speed in the workplace.

If you need job rehabilitation or training in a new career path, it may be worth consulting with a workers compensation attorney to find out what benefits you may be eligible for. You may be able to protect yourself with programs such as Social Security Disability as well. Contact an attorney to find out what you can do to protect your future financial security.

To learn more, contact a company like Hooton, Wold & Okrent LLP with any questions you have.