A disability in workers’ comp law refers to some kind of a limitation that prevents an employee from doing the job that they had at the time of the accident. This could be a broken leg, a brain injury, or severe burns on their hands, among many others. If this injury prevents them from fulfilling their full employment duties, they might be able to file for disability benefits in a Glastonbury workers’ compensation claim.
You could learn more about what sort of benefits you might be entitled to by retaining the services of a steadfast workers’ compensation attorney.
What is Temporary Partial Disability?
A temporary partial (TP) disability is when someone is hurt and the doctor does not take them out of work entirely, but instead gives them restrictions on what they can do on the job. When a person has a back injury, for example, they may be told they are still healing and need more treatment. The individual should not do any bending, lifting, or twisting, and should not lift more than 15 pounds. They may be told that they cannot stand for more than a couple of hours a day. If they are cleared to return to their job but they have limitations on the kinds of work they can do, they are considered temporarily partially disabled under Connecticut law. This is among the most common type of disability benefit in a local workers’ comp claim.
What is Temporary Total Disability?
Temporary total (TT) disability is when an employee is not cleared to return to work at all. If someone has a major injury such as a torn ACL that requires surgery, they are considered temporarily totally disabled until they have the surgery, receive post-operative treatment, and can return to work. They remain at this classification until a medical provider says they can go back to work even with restrictions.
Usually, more serious injuries tend to lead to a temporary total disability. They include bone breaks, tendon tears, ligament tears, herniated discs, and injuries that require surgery or prolonged treatment.
The type of job matters in determining how and when the worker can return. If someone works in a sedentary desk job in an office environment, they are more likely to be able to return to work even if they have a traumatic injury because they do not require extraneous physical movements. If someone works in a factory and has a physical job, they are not going to be cleared as easily to return to that position unless they make a more complete recovery.
What is Permanent Partial Disability?
A permanent partial disability (PPD) is a percentage of impairment assigned when a patient reaches maximum medical improvement. After a person has surgery and recovers, a physician will use the American Medical Association Guide to Permanent Impairment that identifies the types of injuries and treatment that someone received, as well as their ongoing symptoms and complaints. That helps them formulate an opinion on the percentage of loss that the individual suffered. The number that they come up with considered the permanent partial disability.
In exceptional cases, an Osterlund claim (named after a Connecticut court case, Osterlund v. State) is a permanent total disability that could entitle a person to benefits for a significant period of time. However, they are incredibly difficult to prove. In most cases, the employer comes to some kind of agreement when a person can no longer work. It often includes a lump sum settlement in exchange for leaving their job and choosing a different method of compensation such as state disability. This means that an injured person in Glastonbury does not necessarily need to win a workers’ compensation case to receive disability benefits.
State Disability Benefits as an Alternative
Workers’ compensation and state disability are different entities. A private insurance company runs workers’ compensation, while state disability is public disability insurance. In situations where a person is so seriously injured that they cannot ever return to work, they might have to leave their job and apply for disability pay from the state government to help them move forward.
Learn About Disability Benefits in Glastonbury Workers’ Compensation Claims with the Aid of an Attorney
Some injuries are serious enough that they may prevent you from being able to fulfill your work-related duties. When this happens, you deserve to have financial support to help you and your family. Place a call to a lawyer who could explain the various types of disability benefits in Glastonbury workers’ compensation claims. Do not let this injury put you in a tough position.
