So you have been injured at work. Now what? Depending on your injury and its severity, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation and paid time off so you can heal. If your injury will not affect your work performance for the rest of your life, you may receive temporary compensation. On the other hand, if you suffer an injury with long-term effects, such as a traumatic brain injury, you may not be able to go back to work and could be eligible to receive permanent disability.
So What’s the Difference?
The purpose of temporary and permanent disability is the same: to give you compensation for your injury while you are away from work. Temporary, or short-term disability, differs from permanent disability because you will be getting paid up to, but no longer than, 52 weeks. Permanent disability is a disability that will affect your ability to work on a long-term basis. Experienced workers’ compensation attorneys in Long Beach will be able to determine which option is best suited for your injury.
Temporary Disability in California
Temporary injuries can take days, weeks, or months to heal and change the way you carry out your daily routine, but not every state has the option to have them on your insurance. In fact, only five states (California, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Hawaii) offer temporary disability insurance.
If your job requires you to repeatedly lift heavy objects and you injure your shoulder as a result, you will not be able to do normal activities or duties, whether it’s at work or at home. If your shoulder injury keeps you from working, you probably won’t be able to do chores around the house, like cleaning the dishes or helping your kids get dressed in the morning.
Permanent Disability in California
If you are injured at work in such a way that prevents you from completing routine tasks for the rest of your life, we would then help you fight for permanent disability. The amount of compensation depends on your disability rating that ranges from 0% to 100%. This number is meticulously calculated for each of your injuries (two injured hands counts for two injuries). If you are 100% disabled, this means you cannot work at all because of your injury and will receive payments for the rest of your life. If your rating is between 70% and 99% in California, you will also receive a lifetime pension. We can evaluate your case to ensure your rating is reflective of the severity of your work-related injury.
Total and Partial Disability
Within temporary and permanent disability, there are two more categories, total and partial. Total disability occurs when you are completely unable to perform tasks at work because of your injury. If your job requires you to solely lift heavy objects and your injured shoulder prevents you from doing so, you will more than likely be paid for total disability.
Your Los Angeles or Orange County job may require more than just lifting heavy boxes, such as taking inventory or creating weekly sales reports. If your doctor gives you permission to do some tasks at work, then you would be subject to partial disability. Additionally, partial disability would be the route to take if your doctor says you can perform every task at work, but you can only do them for fewer hours per week.
Workers’ Compensation Attorneys in Long Beach
We have more than 62 years of combined experience assisting Southern Californians with their workers’ compensation and personal injury cases. As a result, we have earned a reputation as attorneys that achieve excellent results for their injured clients, as well as respect from our peers. Whether you were injured at work or on someone else’s property, we will fight to win just compensation for your pain and suffering. We are located in Long Beach, California, and serve Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties.
