If You Have Been Injured at Work or Suffered an Illness Due to an Occupational Exposure, You are Entitled to File a Claim Through the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation System
Once the claim is allowed, you will be entitled to receive medical treatment for the allowed conditions in the claim at no cost to you. However, there are a number of other benefits available to an injured worker depending on the nature of the claim. These include:
- Temporary total disability compensation (TT) – Temporary total compensates an injured worker who is temporarily unable to work due to a work related injury or occupational illness. TT is a bi-weekly benefit that will be paid as long as the injured worker remains temporarily disabled. Although there are a number of rules that go into determining the amount of this benefit, generally injured workers receive somewhere between sixty-six and two-thirds percent (66-2/3%%) and seventy-two percent (72%) of their average weekly earnings, subject to certain minimum and maximum amounts.
- Permanent partial disability award (PPD) – A PPD award is designed to compensate an injured worker for residual or permanent impairment suffered as a result of a workplace injury. These awards are typically expressed in terms of a percentage of impairment. The percentage of impairment is plugged into a mathematical equation which generates a one-time lump sum payment.
- Permanent Total Disability (PTD) – PTD is a bi-weekly benefit paid to an injured worker who is unable to engage in sustained remunerative employment as a result of a work-related injury or occupational illness. Unlike TT which is temporary, PTD is a benefit paid for the life of the injured worker. Although there are specific rules that determine the amount of this benefit, generally speaking PTD is paid at a rate of two-thirds (2/3) of the injured worker’s average weekly earnings, subject to certain minimum and maximum amounts.
- Schedule Loss Award – A Scheduled Loss Award compensates an injured worker for either an amputation or permanent loss of use of a specific body part, subject to a certain schedule.
- Wage Loss (WL) – There are two (2) types of wage loss payments – working wage loss (WWL) and non-working wage loss (NWWL). WWL compensates an injured worker who suffers a reduction in earnings as a direct result of restrictions that an injured worker has as a result of an industrial injury. NNWL is a benefit paid to an injured worker who has been released to return to work; however, is unable to find employment despite an active job search.
- Living Maintenance (LM) – LM is a bi-weekly benefit paid to an injured worker who is participating in an approved vocational rehabilitation plan.
- Death Benefits – Workers’ compensation benefits are generally only paid to the injured worker and upon the death of the injured worker, the claim abates. The exception to this rule is the payment of death benefits. Death benefits are a bi-weekly benefit paid to a surviving spouse or dependents of the injured worker who died as a result of a workplace injury or occupational illness. Although there are specific rules that determine the amount of the bi-weekly benefit, generally speaking, death benefits are paid at a rate equal to two-thirds (2/3) of the injured worker’s average weekly earnings, subject to certain minimum and maximum weekly amounts.
The above is not an exhaustive list; however, these are the most common benefits associated with the workers’ compensation system. Depending on the nature of the claim there are other benefits an injured worker may be eligible to pursue. To learn more about the available workers’ compensation benefits, contact Dworken & Bernstein to speak to one of our experienced workers’ compensation attorneys.
