Understanding Your Rights in a New Jersey Workers’ Compensation Claim
If you have been hurt at work, and your injuries are permanent, you will be entitled to additional cash benefits, which will vary based on whether your disability is partial or total. As a general rule, these benefits do not start until your temporary disability benefits cease, either because you have returned to work or reached maximum medical improvement (MMI).
Permanent Partial Disability
If you are able to work in some capacity, but you’ve reached maximum medical improvement without full recovery, you can return to work and receive permanent partial disability (PPD)payments at the same time. Once your treating physician has certified that you’ve attained maximum medical improvement, the doctor will evaluate you and determine the extent of your permanent disability or impairment. The doctor will give you a disability “rating,” based on the nature of the permanent injuries you’ve sustained. The amount you receive will depend on whether your injury is “scheduled,” involving hands, arms, feet, legs, ears, eyes or teeth; or whether it is “non-scheduled,” relating to some other part of the body.
Permanent Total Disability
If you can’t return to work at all because of your injury, you’ll be entitled to receive permanent total disability (PTD) benefits. Similar to the temporary disability payments previously received, these payments are based on your average weekly wage for the 52 weeks prior to your injury, and are capped at 70% of that amount. Permanent total disability payments are initially awarded for a period of 450 weeks, but may continue if you are still unable to work in any capacity at the end of the initial period.
Contact Us
To arrange a private meeting, contact us by e-mail or call our office at 609-771-8611. Evening and weekend meetings are available upon request. We take all major credit cards.
We handle all workers’ compensation cases on a contingency basis. There will be no attorney fees unless we get compensation for your losses.
