What benefits are provided?

There are several benefits available through worker’s compensation.
The three (3) most common are:

1.  Temporary Total Disability Benefits (TTD) which is the payment of 2/3 of your average weekly wage (subject to certain limitations) during the period that you are unable to work.  These benefits are available after the Claimant has missed more than 3 days of employment due to the work injury.  If the Claimant is unable to work for the fourteen (14) days, then the Claimant would also be reimbursed for the first three (3) days;

2.  Medical Expenses this includes not only hospitals and doctors but prescriptions, appliances and transportation;

3.  Permanent Partial Disability Benefits (PPD) this is compensation paid for any permanent disability you sustain as a result of the work injury or disease.

The fourth benefit that a Claimant may or may not be entitled to is what is known as Vocational Rehabilitation.  Sometimes a Claimant’s physician does not feel that the Claimant is able to return to his/her previous full-time job duties. This is due to the injuries suffered in the work accident. If this is the case, the Claimant may be entitled to participate in a Vocational Rehabilitation program. This assists them in finding new employment within their new work restrictions and capabilities.

The lawyers at Shugarman & Mehring vigorously pursue all benefits that a Claimant is entitled.