Medical Treatment
Once injured at work, your employer’s insurance company must cover 100% of any curative, medically reasonable or necessary treatment prescribed by your doctor.
This medical coverage lasts until your doctor believes you have recovered as well as you can.
Lost Time
If your doctor takes you out of work due to a work injury, you will receive temporary disability benefits.
The weekly benefits you receive are based upon your gross wages over the 52-week period prior to your injury. Typically, an injured employee’s weekly compensation rate is approximately 75% of their normal income after tax, Medicare, and Social Security deductions.
This is what is known as your “Compensation Rate.”
Permanent Partial Disability
Each body part has been assigned a value under CT law. Once doctors agree that your injury has recovered as well as it will, they will assign a percentage loss of use. This percentage equals cash for you.
For example, imagine you injured your back at work. Your doctor, typically after one year of treatment, tells you that you lost 10% use of your back forever. Our backs are worth 374 weeks of our “Compensation Rate.”
Therefore, you would be owed 10% of 374 weeks, which is 37.4 weeks of your compensation rate.
Loss of Earning Capacity
Certain work injuries cause workers to be assigned permanent restrictions at work by their doctors.
Should you lose your job or make less than you once did due to these restrictions, you may be eligible for additional weekly benefits.
Scar / Disfigurement
Work injuries may leave you with scars or disfigurements to your body.
If you have suffered any type of scar or disfigurement to your neck, head, or face, you may be entitled to additional benefits.
These awards may only be pursued 1-2 years after an injury.
Transportation
Always keep a list of every medical appointment you attend and the amount of miles you travel. The insurance company must reimburse you according to Connecticut’s mileage rate.
If a doctor states you cannot drive due to your injury, you will be provided with taxi services to and from medical appointments.
