What Can You Do If You Get Hurt at Work and Your Employer Fires You?

If you are injured at work or suffer from a serious medical condition, you may also have protections under the Family Medical Leave Act. That law requires employers with 50 or more employees to provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for a serious medical condition. You must have been employed for at least a year to get protections under the FMLA. A lot of employers think that once they've complied with the Family Medical Leave Act they are done with you and can go ahead and fire you if you're not ready to come back to work after 12 weeks. However, in many circumstances, the employer may have to give you more time off work and light duty, etc., under the workers' compensation laws or Americans With Disabilities Act. This is after the 12 weeks are up.

If you're an injured worker and your employer holds that against you or takes action against you, you do have rights in Florida. This is especially true if you're fired. You should contact an employment lawyer.