If you sustain an injury on the job, you may need to receive workers’ compensation benefits while you recover. There are four different types of benefits that you may receive.
According to the Division of Workers’ Compensation, the extent of your injury usually determines which kind of workers’ compensation benefits you receive. Benefits may be either temporary or permanent. You typically need a doctor to evaluate your condition and determine its impact on your ability to work.
Temporary benefits
There are two kinds of temporary benefits that you may receive. The first is temporary partial disability. You usually qualify for these benefits if your injury allows you to perform some work while you recover. An injury may restrict you from carrying out your customary duties. However, you may be able to do other kinds of work.
Sometimes, you may be unable to do any work while you recover. In this situation, you may receive temporary total disability. These benefits usually provide about 66% of your usual wages.
Permanent benefits
You may receive permanent benefits if an injury will have a life-long effect on your ability to work. A doctor usually examines you to determine the amount of medical improvement that you should expect. Once you reach the maximum level of improvement, doctors typically do not expect your condition to change. You may sometimes receive permanent impairment benefits depending on the degree to which your injury restricts your ability to work.
A severe injury may cause you to become completely disabled and you may be unable to perform any kind of work. If a doctor does not think that you will experience further recovery, you may receive permanent total disability benefits.
Each type of benefit may have further requirements that you need to meet.