How to Calculate and Claim Lost Wages from Your Accident
Injuries from accidents can affect a person’s work capabilities leading to potential loss of wages and earnings.
Fortunately, different compensation claims cover lost wages. You only need to understand how to calculate lost wages to estimate the benefits you deserve.
It is better to consult a Glendale workers’ compensation lawyer to help you calculate lost wages accurately.
Calculating Lost Wages When Claiming Workers’ Compensation
Workers’ compensation is the benefit you deserve when you sustain work-related injuries. And it includes reimbursement for lost wages, especially when you can’t go to work while recovering.
The lost wage reimbursement you should receive from workers’ comp can fall in either of these two categories:
1. Temporary Disability
This compensation refers to the wages lost while recovering.
You should receive temporary total disability if you cannot completely go to work for a few days or weeks. On the other hand, you’re entitled to temporary partial disability if you can still work but on a limited schedule.
If you’re entitled to temporary total disability, you should receive two-thirds of your average weekly wage. However, the amount should not exceed a weekly limit set by the law annually. In 2021, the maximum amount is $1,356.31, while the minimum is $203.44.
Now, if you’re entitled to temporary partial disability, you should receive 2/3 of your average lost wage in a week. Lost wage is the difference between your earnings on a part-time basis and your regular weekly wage.
You’d start receiving temporary disability compensations when the doctor suggests you shouldn’t perform your usual work routine for three days. Overnight hospitalization can also push the benefits to begin.
Remember that you can only receive temporary disability benefits up to 104 weeks in a 5-year timeframe too. That’s regardless of whether you have fully recovered or not. It also stops when the doctor says you’ve already recovered.
2. Permanent Disability Benefits
You’re entitled to permanent disability compensations when you sustain a lifetime disability from your injury. It also has partial or total classifications, but it has slightly different stipulations to temporary disability compensations.
If you’re entitled to permanent total disability, you should receive two-thirds of your average weekly wage but with limitations. It’s similar to temporary total disability, only that you’d be receiving it for a lifetime.
However, if you’re entitled to permanent partial disability benefits, your compensation depends on the permanent disability rating. PD rating is a chart that tells the extent of your injury or disability. And you can get the PD rating results from your attending physician.
Calculating Lost Wages When Filing a Personal Injury Case
Filing a personal injury case includes making a compensation claim. That can cover reimbursement for lost wages and lost potential earnings.
These are incomes that you miss because of an injury that results from another person’s negligence. For example, you need to take a few days off from work after sustaining car accident injuries.
You can also consider lost potential earnings, such as losing a promotion or missing a business meeting because of the accident.
The liable party should pay your lost wages while you’re off from work. That is even when you’ve used your sick leave or vacation leave to undergo treatments. The idea is that you don’t need to use your sick leave or vacation leave when the accident didn’t happen.
Moreover, remember that reimbursement for lost wages is separate from other personal injury settlements. You have to calculate the other payments first before adding the lost wages.
Let a Workers’ Compensation Attorney in Glendale Calculate Lost Wages
A lot of factors can affect the amount of lost wage reimbursement you deserve. Calculating it on your own can lead you to miss some value that can increase your compensation.
That’s why it’s better to get in touch with a Glendale workers’ compensation lawyer to calculate your lost wages. They can help prepare your requirements to support your claims as well.