If you were seriously injured in an accident at work, you might be worried about how you will make ends meet while you’re unable to work. Thankfully, workers’ compensation is available to pay for your medical expenses and replace a portion of the income you miss while you are recovering from your injuries. You might be wondering, “When should I start to receive workers’ compensation payments?” Scroll down to learn more about the workers’ compensation laws in Missouri.
When Should I Start to Receive Workers’ Compensation Payments?
It’s common for people who’ve been injured at work to ask, “When should I start to receive workers’ compensation payments?” Under Missouri law, there are different times when you might expect to receive benefits from workers’ compensation based on the types of benefits. Here’s what you need to know.
When Does Coverage for Medical Expenses Begin?
Following a workplace injury, you should immediately inform your supervisor. You will be sent for medical treatment. Workers’ compensation kicks in and begins paying your medical expenses immediately, so you won’t need to worry about using your own health insurance or paying any copays or deductibles. You aren’t required to file your workers’ compensation claim before your medical expenses will be paid.
Three-Day Waiting Period for Disability Benefits
If your injuries force you to miss work for four or more days, you might be entitled to receive disability benefits. The first three days are unpaid unless your condition causes you to miss 14 or more days of work. If you do miss 14 or more days of work because your injuries prevent you from returning to your job, your disability checks will be retroactive to include those initial three days as well.
Payment for Lost Wages
Your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance carrier will investigate your claim once your employer notifies it of your injury. If you are unable to return to work, your employer will pay you the same way in which you would normally be paid. If you are paid every two weeks before your injury, your employer will pay you every two weeks. However, if you are normally paid less than biweekly, your employer will still have to pay lost wage benefits every two weeks.
If the insurance carrier approves your workers’ comp claim, it will reimburse your employer for the lost wages your employer paid while your claim was being investigated. Once your claim is approved, the insurance company will take over the payments and pay you weekly.
Types of Disability Payments
There are four types of disability payments that might be paid through workers’ compensation: temporary partial, temporary total, permanent partial, and permanent total.
Temporary partial disability is money paid to you if you are partially disabled but still able to perform some amount of work. This is meant to make up the difference between what you normally would earn and what you are able to earn through work while you recover. This is paid for a maximum of 100 weeks.
With temporary total disability, the weekly payments are 66 and 2/3% of your regular weekly wages up to a maximum of the state’s average weekly wage. This can be paid to you for a maximum of 400 weeks.
If you are left with a permanent disability, you might receive permanent partial or permanent total disability.
Permanent partial disability is payable in addition to temporary total disability benefits. When you reach maximum medical improvement, your doctor will assign you a rating based on how your disability affects you. This rating is then compared to a schedule of losses that assigns the number of weeks based on the area of your body affected.
Permanent total disability is used if you won’t be able to return to work in any capacity because of your injuries. If you are found by the judge to be entitled to permanent total disability, you will receive 66 and 2/3% of your former weekly wages up to a maximum of 105% of the state’s average weekly wage for the rest of your life.
Get Help from the Law Offices of Bryan Musgrave
If you were injured on the job and can’t return to work because of your injuries, it’s understandable that you’re worried about when you might begin receiving workers’ compensation payments. If you receive a denial from the insurance company after its investigation, you should immediately contact an attorney at the Law Offices of Bryan Musgrave for help filing an appeal. Call us for a free case review at 417-322-2222 or contact us online.