Getting hurt on the job can result in numerous challenges. Frequently, professionals have to take time away from their careers as they recover. They may have significant medical expenses they need to address.
Occasionally, the injuries they sustain can have a verifiable, lasting negative impact on their earning potential. For example, blue-collar professionals who rely on their bodies to perform job functions might become incapable of continuing to work in a high-demand profession. Injuries that affect their strength or range of motion could interfere with their ability to continue their chosen careers. They may also struggle to move into other blue-collar work because of their functional limitations.
What happens when professionals can no longer earn what they once could because of a job-related injury?
Disability benefits could prove helpful
Workers’ compensation provides disability benefits for those who cannot work. Many injured professionals must use temporary total disability benefits. They qualify for the replacement of up to 75% of their standard hourly wages until they recover enough to return to work.
The disability pay that they receive is subject to a maximum benefit amount based on the average wages across the state. If professionals never recover from severe injuries, they may be eligible for permanent total disability benefits that can cover lost wages until they reach retirement age.
Those who can work but cannot work the same job anymore may require a different form of disability benefit. Temporary partial disability benefits can augment the wages of workers who must accept light-duty work or move to a different job temporarily until they recover.
Permanent partial disability benefits can also help those dealing with reduced income because of an on-the-job injury or work-acquired illness. Permanent partial disability benefits are often available as a lump-sum benefit based on the injured body part. Professionals may be eligible for a certain number of weeks of financial support if they injure a body part and can no longer work as they could before.
Learning more about the workers’ compensation benefits available can help professionals maximize their financial support after getting hurt due to work. Those who cannot continue their chosen professions may be eligible for temporary and even permanent disability benefits.
