Posts Tagged ‘Disability Benefits’

First and foremost workers’ compensation in New Jersey covers the medical expenses related to a work injury. This includes hospital visits and rehabilitation, if needed. However, an injured employee may not be able to return to work right away. After a serious incident, the injured employee could be medically or physically restricted from working for a very long time.

An inability to work has serious financial implications, and after medical treatment is obtained this becomes the biggest concern for most workers. To address these concerns, the workers’ compensation law in New Jersey provides a mechanism for injured workers to obtain benefits that replace some of their normal income. Most employees do not understand how disability benefits are distributed or determined, but they should.

The Different Types of Disability Benefits

New Jersey workers’ compensation law provides for two different types of disability benefits. Permanent disability benefits cover a workplace injury that will have a lasting effect on the person’s ability to work. As an employee goes through the workers’ compensation process a doctor will evaluate and treat the injury.

Eventually, a medical professional will determine that the employee has reached maximum medical improvement. If an injury or illness has last effects on the ability to work after maximum medical improvement, that employee is likely entitled to permanent disability benefits.

As the name would suggest, temporary disability benefits are paid to workers who will eventually experience a full recovery of his or her injury but are unable to work for a certain …

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