Breaking Down Income Benefits for Workers’ Comp

As we mentioned last week, there are four types of income benefits you can receive if you are unable to work due to a work-related injury. Here is a breakdown of these benefits.

Four Types of Benefits

• Temporary income benefits are benefits accessible to people who have to miss work for more than seven days due to injury. You can also receive these benefits if you are working in a reduced capacity for less pay. Usually, these benefits are 70 percent of your normal wage. If you make less than $10 an hour, that number goes up to 75. Benefits end when you reach maximum medical improvement or whenever you return to work in full capacity.
• Impairment income benefits are accessible to people who are permanent impaired by an injury. They are only available after you reach maximum medical improvement. Your doctor will rate your impairment and assign restrictions for work. For every percentage of impairment, you will get three weeks of benefits.
• Supplemental income benefits are paid to workers with an impairment rating of 15 percent or more who are unable to earn at least 80 percent of their former wages. These begin when impairment income benefits end. You must show every quarter that you continue to be eligible in order to continue receiving benefits.
• Lifetime income benefits are available to those whose injuries are severe. Things like total blindness, loss of multiple limbs, paralysis and serious burns qualify as severe. These benefits pay 75 percent of your weekly wage, with a 3 percent increase per year. These are paid out for life.

Speak to a workers’ compensation attorney to determine which benefits you are eligible for.