Suffering an injury at work can be costly. Not only do you have medical expenses, but also you will lose wages. You may not be able to return to work for some time, or if you do, you may have ongoing medical care that requires taking time off.
In any case, you will likely seek some type of monetary benefit with your workers’ compensation claim. It is helpful to understand what is available to you.
Wage replacement
The most obvious monetary benefit is payment for your lost wages. The Connecticut Workers’ Compensation Commission explains everyone will get full payment for the day of the accident that caused their injury. But after that, there is a waiting period for further payment. You will have to wait until the fourth day you cannot work to receive payments. You will get the pay for those first three days once you have missed seven total days. How much you get is set at 75% of your average weekly wages after taxes.
Other situations
If you receive benefits due to the death of a family member or you get benefits under permanent total disability or have received temporary total disability for at least five years, then you will also receive a cost of living increase annually.
If your injury causes you problems down the road, the system considers this a recurrence or relapse, and you become eligible for benefits. Do note that the payments may be at your current rate if you earn more now than you did at the time of injury, but if not, then they will be the average weekly rate at the time of the injury.
The workers’ compensation system can be confusing because there is a range of rules and exceptions. It is always a good idea to learn as much as you can to ensure you get all benefits due to you.
