Jackson Permanent Partial Disability Benefits Lawyer
Most job injury victims, especially trauma injury victims, deal with temporary disabilities. After a few months of rest and medical treatment, they are ready to go back to their prior jobs full time. It’s illegal for bosses to give these jobs to someone else while the victim is on workers’ compensation. Many other victims, especially occupational disease victims, must deal with permanent disabilities. Life is never the same for them or their families. Compensation is available in both kinds of cases. However, as outlined below, permanent disability benefits are different from temporary disability benefits.
Regardless of the nature of the injury, the assertive Jackson permanent partial disability benefits lawyer hits the ground running. We’ve successfully handled these claims for many years. So, we know what methods work, and just as importantly, what methods don’t work. The benefits available in a workers’ compensation are basically the same as well. These benefits include lost wage replacement and medical bill payment. These benefits are available even if the victim was mostly at fault, or entirely at fault, for a work-related illness or injury.
Lost Wage Benefits
Most temporary disability victims receive two-thirds of their Average Weekly Wage for the duration of their temporary disabilities.
Calculating the AWW is often difficult, because the AWW is future-looking as well as past-looking. For example, if Michael gets hurt during his initial probationary period, his workers’ compensation lost wage benefits should reflect his future higher pay as opposed to his lower probationary pay.
The AWW is also relevant to permanent lost wage benefits. However, since life will never be the same for permanently disabled individuals, the calculation works a bit differently.
In the future, partially disabled victims must often reduce their hours. If Michael hurt his shoulder badly, it might only be able to stand up to a six-hour workday as opposed to an eight-hour workday. So, partially disabled victims like Michael typically receive a lump-sum lost wages payout based on the nature and extent of their medical disability.
Roughly this same analysis applies to totally disabled victims. However, in addition to financial implications, these disabilities also have medical, vocational, educational, and other implications. If Michael was a cowboy, a bad shoulder might be completely disabling, depending on the medical diagnosis and a few other factors. If, on the other hand, Michael was an accountant, a bad shoulder might barely slow him down.
The answers to these questions are subjective, an insurance company adjusters usually look for the cheapest possible way out. A Jackson permanent partial disability lawyer helps ensure that the lost wage benefits match the disability.
Medical Benefits and Jackson Permanent Partial Disability Benefits Lawyer
Most permanent disabilities require ongoing medical treatment. It may be impossible to reverse the effects of the injury, but doctors can ensure that former job injury victims maintain the highest quality of life possible.
If a workers’ compensation settlement doesn’t fully account for such costs, victims may be financially responsible for them in the future.
On a related note, some job injury permanent disability victims wonder if they will be eligible for other programs, such as VA disability and SSDI disability.
In general, workers’ compensation benefits don’t affect these other applications. Federal agencies, as opposed to a state-monitored private insurance company, handle them. Additionally, the eligibility requirements are different. Therefore, if you were denied permanent workers’ compensation benefits, similar benefits may be available from another source.
Connect With a Hard-Hitting Hinds County Attorney
Injured workers are entitled to substantial benefits. For a free consultation with an experienced Jackson permanent partial disability benefits lawyer, contact Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe, PLLC. Virtual, home, and hospital visits are available.
