In the state of Georgia, you are entitled to specific workers compensation benefits if you are injured on the job. Your employer is required to carry Workers Compensation Insurance if they employ 3 employees or more, regardless of full or part-time status. They are also required to provide (at their expense) medical care and treatment for your injury. There are three primary types of workers comp benefits that you could receive:
PPD or Permanent Partial Disability paid weekly to an employee whose injury results in being permanently disabled (example: the loss of a limb)
TPD or Temporary Partial Disability paid weekly to employees that return to work in a lower paying job capacity inclusive of lost income benefits and medical care (maximum benefit of $334 paid for up to 350 weeks)
TTD or Temporary Total Disability paid weekly to any employee who is injured on the job and cannot return to work (benefits paid at a rate of 2/3 of the average weekly wage with a limit of $500 per week for up to 400 weeks)
Additionally, death benefits are provided to the dependent spouses and family members of the employee should the on-the-job injury result in their death. The maximum death benefit is also 2/3 of the persons weekly wage and up $500 per week.
Workers Comp Benefit Limits
Regardless of which type of benefit you are awarded, there are certain maximum payments and time periods involved as mentioned above. Typically, these benefits are based on the earnings they have lost by virtue of being injured on the job. Another aspect that they are based on is the permanent damage to the individuals wage earning capacity. Where workers comp benefits are concerned there is no benefit for pain and suffering, nor can you sue your employer the way you would in personal injury cases.
Average weekly wage (AWW) is taken into consideration when calculating the amount of weekly benefits that you will receive and includes certain factors such as:
As was mentioned above, there is a 400 week maximum benefit period where TTD is concerned unless you have incurred a catastrophic injury. This type of injury could be:
Total blindness; Severe neurological disorders; Paralysis; Brain injury; Amputations of a limb