If you are injured on the job, you may qualify for workers’ compensation benefits, depending on the circumstances of the incident. Although every state sets its own workers’ compensation laws, there are some aspects of the laws that are very similar. There are different levels of disability depending on whether or not the injury (or work-related illness) has left the worker with a temporary or permanent disability and whether or not that disability is temporary or permanent.
The following is a brief overview of the different types of workers’ compensation benefits you may qualify for, however, to find out specific details about the laws in your state and your possible claim, contact a workers’ compensation lawyer.
Temporary Partial Disability
There are some injured workers who sustain a work injury that still allows them to do some of what their job responsibilities are, or they are able to work on a part-time basis. In these situations, the injured worker will likely qualify for temporary partial disability. Temporary partial disability benefits typically provide two-thirds of the difference between an injured worker’s weekly salary and the amount they are earning after the injury while working on a part-time schedule.
Temporary Total Disability
When an injured worker cannot work at all because of a work-related injury or illness, they will likely qualify for temporary total disability while they recover. This type of benefit is typically two-thirds of what the worker’s usual weekly salary was before the injury occurred. Most states do have a maximum cap on what that weekly benefit amount can be.
Permanent Total Disability
There are many situations where the injured worker goes through a recovery period and, unfortunately, they do not recover from their injuries and are left unable to work at all. In these cases, the worker will likely qualify for permanent total disability benefits. This type of benefit amount is usually two-thirds of the injured worker’s weekly salary. With a permanent total disability, the benefit is paid for the rest of the worker’s life. Some of the more common types of injuries that qualify for permanent total disability include paralysis, brain injury, amputations, and blindness.
Death of Employee
When a worker does not survive their job-related injury, their family can file for workers’ compensation survivor benefits. In some cases, depending on the circumstances, it may be more legally beneficial for the family to file a wrongful death lawsuit.
Contact a Personal Injury Law Firm Today
Under state law, work injuries are almost always covered under your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance. If your employer does not want to pay out your compensation benefits, or you have difficulty obtaining those benefits, you should immediately contact an experienced attorney, like one of the work injury lawyers in New Jersey from a firm like Rispoli & Borneo, P.C.