What Kinds of Disability Benefits Are Available Through Workers’ Comp?
Work-related injuries or illnesses can put a person and their family in a difficult position. Medical treatment can be very expensive and paying these and other bills may seem impossible if an injury has affected a person’s ability to continue working. Fortunately, workers’ compensation benefits are available to those who are injured while on the job. Employees will want to be sure to understand the types of benefits they can receive, including payments that address the income lost due to their injuries.
Temporary and Permanent Disability Benefits
Any injuries that occur while working or illnesses contracted because of a person’s job are covered by workers’ comp, whether an employer or employee was at fault. Disability benefits will address the income lost while a victim is recovering from their injuries, as well as any impairment to their income-earning capacity in the future. In Illinois, disability benefits are grouped into the following categories:
- Temporary Partial Disability (TPD) - An injury may lead to a reduction in the number of hours a person can work during the time they are recovering, or they may need to temporarily move to a new position where they earn a lower income. TPD benefits will provide an injured worker with two thirds (66.7%) of the amount calculated by subtracting the amount they currently earn from their average weekly wage before their injury.
- Temporary Total Disability (TTD) - If injuries cause a person to be unable to work at all while they are recovering, TTD benefits will provide them with two thirds (66.7%) of the average weekly wages before being injured.
- Permanent Partial Disability (PPD) - A work-related injury or illness may lead to the loss of body parts or an inability to fully use certain parts of the body. In many cases, PPD benefits will provide a certain number of weeks of pay, depending on the part(s) of the body that were injured and the percentage of function they have lost in these parts. These benefits will be calculated by determining 60% of a person’s average weekly wage and multiplying that amount by the number of weeks of pay they should receive. In other cases, a person may receive wage differential benefits, in which they will receive two thirds (66.7%) of the amount calculated by subtracting their current wages from what they previously earned.
- Permanent Total Disability (PTD) - When injuries are so severe that a person becomes permanently disabled and unable to resume work, they may receive PTD benefits, which will provide them with two thirds (66.7%) of the average weekly wage they had earned before being injured. These benefits will be paid for the remainder of their lifetime.
Contact Our Aurora Disability Benefits Attorneys
At Kinnally Flaherty Krentz Loran Hodge & Masur, PC, we can provide legal help to make sure you understand the steps you should take following a work injury, and we can assist in filing a workers’ comp claim and protecting your right to disability benefits and medical benefits. To set up a free consultation, contact our Kane County workers’ compensation lawyers today by calling 630-907-0909.
Source:
https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/iwcc/Documents/handbook.pdf
