One of the most valuable, and important, benefits of your workers' comp insurance is the opportunity to recover at home and still earn some of your previous salary. This insurance allows you to concentrate on healing so that you can get back to work quickly. But it's important to understand that your workers' comp benefits are connected to the category of your injury. Read on to learn more about the three categories of workers' comp.
Temporary Disability
If you have been recently injured and are now receiving benefits, you are in this stage and category. This initial period is meant to be temporary, and you can expect to have your medical expenses and a portion of your salary paid to you. While the exact amount of lost wages varies from place to place, it may be approximately 66.6% of your salary. You may remain in this category for weeks or months, depending on the nature of your injury. For example, a broken arm would be expected to be healed enough to return to work after a few months, but a pulled muscle may be expected to be healed in a few weeks.
At some point, however, your workers' comp insurance may ask you to undergo a medical exam to get a better idea of how much longer you will need to be off work. Again, the timing of this exam depends on the nature of your injury. If you have suffered a catastrophic and severe injury, like an amputation, you will likely be asked to participate in this exam sooner, since the final outcome of your injury is obvious a lot quicker than a back injury, which may take longer to heal. The result of this exam may mean a ruling of maximum medical improvement, which leads to the next two possible categories.
Permanent Partial Disability
The ruling means that your injury will not get any better and you are thus permanently disabled. If your injury involved only a part of your body and you can still do some type of work, you will be categorized with a partial permanent disability. Normally, this means a return to part-time work or a less strenuous job. Your lost wage benefit will correspond with the percentage of disability. For example, if you are 75% disabled, you will be entitled to be paid that percentage of your previous salary, in addition to being paid for the work you are doing.
Permanent Disability
These types of injuries are normally reserved for the more serious, life-altering conditions such as brain injuries, amputations, severe back or spinal injuries, etc. You will be offered a settlement based on your age, education level, lost potential earnings, and more. Since you are unlikely to be able to ever work and earn money again, care should be taken to only accept a settlement that is adequate to cover this considerable obligation.
Don't negotiate with the insurance company without good legal representation; contact a workers' comp attorney, such as those at Dennis Kenny Attorney, to stand by you and get you the settlement that you need and deserve.
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3 May 2016
After you have endured a traumatic, life-changing car accident, it can be hard to transition back into your everyday routine. As friends and family members chat about upcoming outlet mall sales or holiday plans, you might be secretly worried about how to pay your medical bills or forget about that wreck. Fortunately, dealing with your car accident case proactively by working with an attorney can really help. After I was involved in a car accident a few years back, my attorney stood by my side and helped me to argue for what was rightfully mine. I made this website to teach others what to do if they are involved in an accident.