A Guide To The Four Types Of Disability Claims
Brian O Sutter
Personal Injury
There are four types of disability claims that you may qualify for after an injury or illness. Claims are broken into two categories depending on the length of the injury: Temporary and permanent. Then they are broken further down into four categories depending on the severity of the injury. The type of disability you are eligible for determines what type of disability benefits you will receive. Here is a guide to the four types of disability claims.
Temporary Disability
A temporary disability is when your injury or illness is only temporary and will not be permanent. To be considered for temporary disability, you need to be unable to perform your regular work duties or are hospitalized for more than 3 consecutive days. There are two types of temporary disabilities:- Temporary Partial Disability: A temporary partial disability claim can be filed when you can only complete part of your regular duties and so your employer cannot offer you the same wages or hours. You will receive a supplementary income of ⅔ of whatever wages and benefits you have lost as a result of the injury.
- Temporary Total Disability: A temporary total disability is when you cannot perform any of your regular work duties. If you qualify for a temporary disability claim, typically you will receive a bi-monthly check of ⅔ of your normal income until you can get back to work.
Permanent Disability
A permanent disability is when your injury or illness is lifelong. To be considered for permanent disability, you need to prove that you will not ever be able to perform your regular work duties as a result of the disability. With a permanent disability, the awardee is also allowed to return work, as long as their wages plus disability do not exceed the state maximum. There are two types of permanent disabilities:- Permanent Total Disability: Permanent total disability is when the wage-earning capacity is completely loss as a result of the injury. To qualify for permanent total disability, you need proof that your injuries are debilitating. If you receive permanent total disability you will get a bi-monthly check for ⅔ of your income for the rest of your life.
- Permanent Partial Disability: Permanent partial disability is when the wage-earning capacity has been permanently lost. There are two kinds of permanent partial benefits: Schedule loss of use and non-schedule. Schedule loss of use covers the lost body parts, while non-schedule covers all other injuries. For schedule of loss of use, compensation is fixed by law to a certain number of weeks depending on the body part. For non-schedule, the benefits are based on the loss of earning capacity.