While Working, Can I Get Temporary Disability Benefits?
Getting injured on the job can significantly impact your ability to work. Unfortunately, because most of us depend on our salaries to stay afloat, these injuries can have serious ramifications if you can’t earn money. One of the best ways to offset the financial damage of this situation is to file for temporary disability benefits, which are usually called temporary total disability (TTD) or temporary partial benefit payments (TPD). However, some crucial factors can affect these benefits and whether or not you qualify. Let’s break them down.
How do I qualify for Temporary Total Disability?
Typically speaking, you have to be able to file a workers’ comp claim, as well as get medical treatment for your injury. If your doctor says you can’t work at all, you should be eligible. However, if your physician says that you can do light or modified work while recovering from your injury, you may not qualify for TTD.
How soon can I receive Temporary Total Disability Benefits?
In Missouri, you have to wait at least three days before filing a claim. However, if you are not working for more than 14 days because of your injury, the waiting period will be paid as part of your temporary total disability claim.
How much can I earn from Temporary Disability benefits?
If you can’t work at all, you are entitled to two-thirds of your gross weekly income (before taxes). However, if you can do modified work, you may have to file for Temporary Partial Disability (TPD). There is a difference between TPD and TTD. With TPD, you are only eligible to receive up to two-thirds of the difference between what you were earning before your injury and what you are earning now. If, however, your employer doesn’t diminish your wages while in recovery (despite having to work less), you are not eligible to receive these payments.
How long can I receive TTD or TPD?
Once your doctor says that you can go back to work with minimal restrictions on your abilities to perform the job, your benefits will stop. Also, if your employer has offered modified work that meets any limits listed by your doctor, your benefits will end. What’s crucial to understand here is that even if you don’t accept the offer, you won’t receive any additional payments. Alternatively, if you cannot improve any further during your recovery, you may be eligible to receive permanent disability benefits, as long as your injury still impacts your work. In this case, your temporary payments will cease, and you’ll switch to a long-term disability plan. Finally, there are limits to how much you can earn from TTD and TPD. Once you reach that limit, your benefits will stop, even if you’re still recovering from your injury. If you have been injured on the job, the Missouri workers compensation lawyers, Webster & Carlton, Attorneys at Law, offer the legal representation to help you get the benefits you deserve. Contact us today.