How Long Can You Receive Workers’ Compensation Benefits?

When people get hurt on the job and apply for workers’ compensation benefits, they usually have three main concerns: will their applications get approved, how much money can they get, and how long can they get benefits?

The answer to the first question depends on many factors, but hiring an attorney can help make the process easier and more likely to succeed, whether on first application or appeal. The answer to the second question depends on how much money the injured workers made before they got hurt at work. The answer to the last question is addressed in this blog.

Your Workers’ Compensation Benefits Duration Depends on Your Length of Disability

Workers’ compensation is designed to pay for replacement wages while you’re unable to work, along with your medical bills. Because every injury is different, different people need workers’ compensation for different time periods.

Most workers’ compensation claims pay for people who become temporarily disabled with short stints in the hospital or a handful of doctor’s visits, and a few weeks out of work. They must be out of work for a minimum of 8 days to receive temporary benefits. For these injured workers, their benefits end when their doctors say they have recovered enough to return to work.

Permanently Disabling Injuries Can Mean Long-Term Benefits

If your work-related injury results in a permanent disability, you can receive full benefits for the rest of your life. If you retire from your job, even if you aren’t working because of an injury, you can begin receiving Social Security retirement benefits in addition to your workers’ compensation benefits.

However, to receive both benefits at the same time, or to continue receiving full workers’ compensation benefits, you may need to prove that your retirement was “involuntary” and is related to your injury or another external factor.

If you’re receiving temporary or permanent workers’ compensation benefits and are thinking about retiring, it’s important to talk to an experienced Ohio workers’ compensation lawyer first to verify the ramifications it could have on your benefits.

Getting Lifetime Benefits Requires Extra Steps

To be approved for lifetime benefits in Ohio, injured workers must attend an Industrial Commission of Ohio examination and hearing to determine if they meet eligibility criteria. This involves multiple steps, including:

• Submitting evidence verifying the worker’s injuries or illness and inability to work
• Undergoing a medical examination scheduled by the Industrial Commission
• Having a pre-hearing conference that involves both the injured worker and their employer
• Having a permanent total disability hearing before a staff hearing officer who will decide if the permanent benefits are to be awarded or not.

These are just a few of the steps that go into the process of obtaining permanent total disability benefits. Our lawyers are familiar with every step of the process, and we know how to prepare our clients for these hearings and to maximize their chances of approval.

Our Lawyers Can Help Demystify the Workers’ Compensation Process

Workers’ compensation is an extremely important state-run program for injured workers in Ohio. However, because it has the potential to be abused by people, it has plenty of red tape and strict guidelines to weed out weak claims or error-filled and incomplete applications.

At Nurenberg, Paris, Heller & McCarthy, our Ohio workers’ compensation attorneys know how to help injured workers both get the benefits they deserve and keep them when life events change, including job changes, termination, and retirement. Don’t miss out on the benefits you’re owed after a work-related injury. Contact our experienced legal team today for a free consultation.

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