What Are Temporary Disability Benefits In A Florida Workers’ Compensation Case?

When a person suffers a serious injury at work in Pompano Beach or in another part of South Florida, that person should get in touch with an experienced South Florida workers’ compensation lawyer as soon as possible to find out more about obtaining benefits. Our attorneys want to tell you more about temporary disability benefits and how they work after a serious on-the-job injury in or around Pompano Beach.

What Should I Know About Temporary Disability Benefits

 Temporary disability benefits in general can be paid to injured workers in Florida when they are expected to ultimately recover from their injuries but are unable to work temporarily, or are unable to work in the same position they had before the injury. These specific kinds of benefits are designed to compensate an injured worker for specific medical disabilities that are not permanent in nature, and when the injured worker is in the process of recovering from the workplace injury.

Two Kinds of Temporary Disabilities 

Under Florida workers’ compensation law, there are two general types of temporary disability benefits: temporary partial disability benefits and temporary total disability benefits.

Temporary total disability benefits (also known as TTD benefits) are paid to injured workers in Florida who cannot do any work at all as a result of the disabling injury they have suffered. Florida law defines a temporary total disability as a “disability total in character but temporary in quality.” With temporary total disability benefits, Florida law allows an injured worker to be paid 66 and 2/3 (or 66.67 percent) of their average weekly wages from before the injury for up to a total of 104 weeks, or as long as the temporary total disability lasts. The law clarifies that, “once the employee reaches the maximum number of weeks allowed, or the employee reaches the date of maximum medical improvement, whichever occurs earlier, temporary disability benefits shall cease.”

Temporary partial disability benefits (which are sometimes described as TPD benefits) are paid to workers who have a partially disabling injury which means they can return to some form of work but cannot do enough work to earn a full salary. TPD benefits can be paid when a worker is unable to earn more than 80 percent of the wages they earned before the injury.

Permanent Injuries May Sometimes Result in TTD Benefits 

While it might seem unlikely, Florida law also explains that workers who have sustained catastrophic injuries can in some cases be paid temporary total disability benefits unless they are receiving permanent disability benefits. The statute says that “an employee who has sustained the loss of an arm, leg, hand, or foot, has been rendered a paraplegic, paraparetic, quadriplegic, or quadriparetic, or has lost the sight of both eyes shall be paid temporary total disability of 80 percent of her or his average weekly wage.”

Contact a Pompano Beach Workers’ Compensation Lawyer 

If you have questions about temporary disability benefits after a work injury, our Pompano Beach workers’ compensation lawyer can assist you. Contact the Law Offices of David M. Benenfeld, P.A. for more information.

Resource:

leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0400-0499/0440/Sections/0440.15.html