When Can I Qualify for Disability Benefits Through Workers’ Comp?

 Posted on September 14, 2021 in Workers' Compensation

A work-related injury can cause a great deal of difficulty in a person’s life. After being injured, a person may require emergency medical treatment and ongoing care, and their ability to return to work may be affected. Fortunately, workers’ compensation is available for anyone who has been injured on the job. In addition to fully covering the costs of medical treatment related to an injury, workers’ comp will also provide benefits that address a person’s loss of income due to an inability to work. Injured workers should be sure to understand when they will qualify for different types of workers’ compensation disability benefits.

Temporary or Permanent Disability Benefits

When an injury temporarily affects a person’s ability to work, they will qualify for disability benefits while recovering. These benefits will last until they reach the point of maximum medical improvement (MMI). If a person misses at least four days of work, they can receive temporary total disability (TTD) benefits. These benefits will not cover the first three days of missed work unless the person misses a total of at least 14 days of work. These benefits will be paid during a period where a doctor states that the person is unable to work or when they are able to do light work but their employer cannot meet these accommodations. TTD benefits pay 66 ⅔ percent of the average weekly wage (AWW) that a person earned in the 52 weeks before the date of their injury.

If a person can return to work on a part-time basis while they are recovering, or if they will be limited to working in a position that pays less than what they earned before they were injured, they will qualify for temporary partial disability (TPD) benefits. These benefits address the losses a person experiences when working at a reduced capacity. TPD benefits pay 66 ⅔ percent of the difference between the person’s AWW and the amount they earn while they are temporarily disabled.

A person may qualify for permanent disability benefits if they lose a body part or suffer permanent impairments that affect their ability to work. If, after a person has recovered as much as possible, they will be unable to return to the work they had performed before being injured, they will qualify for permanent partial disability (PPD) benefits. These benefits may address the reduction of income that a person is able to earn in a manner similar to TPD benefits, or they may provide a certain number of weeks of pay based on the part of the body that was injured and the level of impairment to that body part.

A permanent total disability (PTD) will cause a person to be unable to perform any kind of work. Generally, an injury will result in permanent disability if a person loses any two of the following body parts:

• Arms

• Hands

• Legs

• Feet

• Eyes

PTD benefits pay 66 ⅔ percent of a person’s AWW, and these benefits will be paid for the rest of their life.

Contact Our Will County Workers’ Compensation Attorney

If you have been injured while on the job, Flaherty Law, LLC can assist with your workers’ compensation claim and ensure that you receive the benefits you need and deserve. Contact our Plainfield workers’ comp lawyer at 815-577-7500 to schedule a free consultation today.

Source:

https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/iwcc/Documents/handbook.pdf