When Maryland workers are injured on the job or suffer an occupational disease because of their work and need time to recover, workers’ compensation benefits are an integral part of making ends meet. Workers can be categorized as totally disabled or partially disabled and the disability can be temporary or permanent. Understanding the various categories is imperative to a workers’ compensation case. Those who have temporary partial disability should know what they are entitled to.
When a worker gets temporary partial disability benefits, the worker is not considered completely disabled and will receive certain benefits for a finite amount of time. The goal is to supplement the worker while they can do only limited amounts of work or work part-time for less pay. The workers’ compensation benefits will pay the worker half the difference between what they earned formerly per week on average and the amount they currently earn.
When the employee suffers a temporary total disability from an injury or occupational disease, they will generally receive two-thirds the average amount they earned per week up to the maximum weekly wage in the state. However, workers cannot receive less than $50 per week no matter what their average weekly wages were at the time of the injury or condition.
The goal of temporary total disability is to provide replacement income for what was lost when the worker is unable to work. These benefits will stop when the worker is no longer totally disabled and it is possible for them to do some level of work. The benefits can also be discontinued if there is a medical determination that the worker has achieved the highest level of maximum medical improvement.
For many workers, their injury or illness is severe enough that they will miss time on the job and then only be able to do certain types of work for a limited time. Eventually, they are expected to recover. During this interim, they can get temporary partial disability benefits. After a worker has become injured or ill and there are questions or concerns about any aspect of workers’ compensation, a law firm that represents clients in these circumstances should be called for advice and assistance.
