Workers’ compensation is meant to pay the medical expenses and lost wages a worker incurs due to a work-related illness or injury. It is a no-fault system of insurance, but it is an exclusive remedy, meaning that workers who are injured or become ill on the job are prohibited from suing their employer. There are a variety of benefits a worker may receive through Connecticut’s workers’ compensation system.
The first, and often the most immediate concern, is how the victim will pay for medical expenses. Workers’ comp covers medical treatment. The employer will choose the medical professional for the initial treatment of the worker’s illness or injury. However, it is the worker who will decide who their attending physician will be.
Temporary total disability is a wage replacement benefit for those whose workplace injury or illness has rendered them totally disabled. The amount paid will be 75% of the worker’s prior average weekly wage after tax and Social Security.
Temporary partial disability is paid when a worker can work but cannot perform the same type or amount of work they did before becoming injured or ill. These benefits are 75% of the difference between what the worker currently earns and what they would have earned, after tax and Social Security, but for the injury.
Permanent partial disability is paid to workers who suffer a permanent but partial loss of a part of their body following a workplace injury. The compensation rate depends on the applicable body part, the attending physician’s determination of what percentage of the affected body part is now disabled and what the worker’s base compensation was.
There are other workers’ compensation benefits as well, including relapse or recurrence, discretionary benefits and job retraining. While these benefits won’t be discussed in this post, it is important for workers to understand what they are. As this post does not contain legal advice and cannot promise any outcome in a workers’ compensation claim, those who need more information about workers’ compensation benefits and how they apply to their situation will want to seek professional guidance.
