When you’re injured at work, your immediate concern should be on getting to a doctor and getting medical care – but it’s hard not to think about money. Being off work for any length of time can be financially devastating for a lot of people.
Fortunately, workers’ compensation benefits don’t just cover the medical care for your work-related injury. If you’re unable to work while you recover, workers’ comp also provides “cash” benefits through temporary total disability payments beginning one week from your last day of work.
What does temporary total disability entail?
If your doctor says that you’re unable to work for a while, your temporary total disability (TTD) benefits will generally kick in. You can receive up to two-thirds of your average weekly wage up to a cap of $1,273.00 in 2023. (The maximum cap is recalculated every year based on the average weekly wage paid in the state and usually sees a modest increase.) So, if you made $1,500 a week, you could receive TTD benefits of $1,000 per week.
You can receive TTD benefits for 104 weeks. After that, your employer can require you to go through a medical evaluation that “rates” your disability on a scale from 1% to 100%. If you are at least 35% disabled, you can continue to receive total disability benefits indefinitely. If you’re less than 35% disabled, you can then receive partial disability benefits for up to 500 weeks (and they do not have to be consecutive).
It’s important to remember that these benefits are something that you’re entitled to receive. They’re not a handout, and it doesn’t matter if your employer was negligent or not. If you’re having difficulty getting the benefits you need to ensure your family’s financial stability, legal guidance can help.
