Important Workers' Compensation Terms That You Should Know

When you have an injury in the workplace, the idea of a worker's compensation claim can seem stressful. However, filing a claim can be the difference between a life of debt and a life of happiness. To make the situation a little less stressful, you can familiarize yourself with some of the most important terms. Make sure that you understand everything that goes into a worker's compensation claim.

Independent Medical Examination

The Independent Medical Examination, or IME, is a medical exam that assesses a worker's condition. At your workplace, your employer might request a medical exam from a particular doctor. If you decide to go to court for your worker's comp claim, your employer and the insurance company will insist on an IME. They get to choose the doctor, so there is no guarantee that the results are unbiased.

Average Daily and Weekly Wage

In your worker's compensation claim, you might hear reference to quite a few acronyms. ADW and AWW are common terms that you should know. While ADW refers to average daily wage, AWW refers to average weekly wage. The numbers determine how much money you earn in a day and a week of work. Usually, one of the terms is more accurate at representing your earnings than another. The value can help a court determine how much money you lost by missing your shifts at work.

Permanent Partial Disability and Permanent Total Disability

Some disabilities are permanent, but not complete. In the case that you suffer from such a disability, you have a Permanent Partial Disability, or PPD. Of course, your disability will affect your worker's comp claim. While it won't provide as much value as a total disability, it will factor into the value. Some states have PPD values that are pre-set by law. Certain disabled body parts or conditions merit a specific value in the worker's comp claim.

If you suffer from a Permanent Total Disability (PTD), a work accident leaves you completely disabled on a permanent basis. When you suffer from such a debilitating injury, you receive greater benefits from your worker's compensation claim. Click here for more information on how this can impact your claim.

Physical Therapy

In many work-related accidents, the injury requires a long recovery. During that recovery, you might find yourself in physical therapy, or PT. PT can help you recover, but also costs time and money. To attend your PT sessions, you may need to miss hours at work. The time and money you spend at PT can be included in your worker's compensation claim.

Social Security Disability Benefits (SSDI)

When an accident leaves you disabled, you may get benefits through the Social Security Administration. In some stats, you may not be able to receive worker's compensation and SSDI benefits at the same time. There are safeguards to ensure that you don't receive too much money at once from both programs. The amount that you receive depends on your injury and the state that you reside in. For more information on how SSDI can impact your worker's compensation claim, you should talk to a lawyer.