What Are The Four Types Of Workers’ Compensation Benefits?

Posted in Workers' Compensation on January 10, 2022

Key Takeaways

Temporary disability benefits provide partial wage replacement during recovery from a work injury.
Medical-only benefits cover approved treatment costs for workplace injuries after a waiting period.
Workers’ compensation death benefits may cover funeral expenses and dependent compensation.
Permanent disability benefits apply after maximum medical improvement with lasting work impairments.
Arizona employers generally must carry workers’ compensation insurance for all employees.

Suffering an injury on the job is never easy. There’s no telling how long you might be out of work, making it difficult to provide for your family. However, if your employer has workers’ compensation insurance, you will receive a portion of your salary for the time you miss work. It won’t be 100 percent of your salary, but it will at least be something coming in while you recover from your work-related injury.

There are four types of workers’ compensation benefits: temporary disability, medical only, fatalities, and permanent disability. Consult with a Phoenix workers’ compensation attorney if you were injured on the job.

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Temporary Disability Workers’ Compensation Benefits

The benefits you receive under temporary disability will vary in amount based on the severity of the injury you suffered as well as the duration of the injury. If you are granted temporary total disability, it means that you cannot return to the same job you worked prior to your injury for the same employer. The majority of people who receive these benefits will return to work. However, if they return to work in a different job with a lower salary, they will continue to receive temporary disability benefits.

Medical Only Workers’ Compensation Benefits

Workers’ compensation insurance will pay an injured worker 100 percent of their medical bills on top of cash payment for lost time on the job after a waiting period of three to seven days. The majority of workers’ compensation cases do not involve lost time at work longer than the waiting period. If your case does, only the costs for your medical care will be paid by the insurance company.

Workers’ Compensation Benefits and Fatalities

If your loved one suffers a fatal work injury, workers’ compensation plans will pay death benefits. These benefits often include compensation for the funeral costs, burial costs, and cash benefits paid to the family of the deceased or their dependents. If an employee dies due to a work-related injury or illness has no dependents, only burial and funeral expenses will be paid by workers’ compensation insurance.

Permanent Disability Workers’ Compensation Benefits

Permanent disability benefits are paid by workers’ compensation when an employee reaches maximum medical improvement and still has severe impairments preventing them to work that was caused by work-related injury or illness. Workers can also receive permanent partial disability benefits from workers’ compensation if they suffer an impairment that does not prevent them from working but is still with them after maximum medical improvement.

Arizona Workers’ Compensation

Under Arizona law, employers are required to purchase workers’ compensation insurance for their employees if the company regularly hires workers as part of its normal practices, no matter how many employees work for the company. This means that insurance must be purchased even if the employee is part-time, full-time, a minor, or a family member. However, workers’ compensation does not have to be purchased for anyone who works as a domestic servant in someone’s home.

Schedule a Consultation with a Phoenix Workers’ Compensation Attorney Today

Injured on the job in Phoenix? You have a right to file a workers’ compensation claim with your employer. If the claim is denied, you have options to fight for benefits. Do not let your employer tell you otherwise. Call the office of Crossman Law Offices, P.C., at (602) 497-4359 to schedule a consultation with a Phoenix workers’ compensation attorney today.

Avery N Crossman

Ms. Crossman is a State Bar Board Certified Workers’ Compensation Specialist and is past Co-Chair of the State Bar Workers’ Compensation Section. She has served as a faculty member at the State Bar Seminar on Professionalism and is a former Judge Pro Tempore in the Arizona County, Justice, and Superior Courts. In the past, she has spoken at seminars on Workers’ Compensation sponsored by the Industrial Commission of Arizona and the Arizona Association of Lawyers for Injured Workers. Ms.Crossman is a long-time member of the Arizona Association of Lawyers for Injured Workers. She is also a member of American Mensa.