Charles Spinelli Speaks On the Difference Between Temporary Disability and Permanent Disability Benefits in Worker’s Comp

Injuries on the job can typically lead to temporary (short-term) or permanent (long-term) disability among workers. Being a victim of work-related injury a worker will need all necessary support and care through this difficult phase. According to Charles Spinelli, while both temporary and permanent types of disabilities have many similarities, they also differ in certain terms when it comes to their nature and benefits under worker’s comp. insurance. Understanding this difference between short-term and long-term disability can be of immense help in making informed decisions to getting coverage towards the medical expenses or recovering compensation.

Defining Temporary Disability

A temporary disability refers to any kind of physical or mental illness or injury that occurs at work while affecting the victim for a specific period. A worker who has a temporary disability can suffer for a few days, weeks, or even months, however, the victim is likely to recover and join the workplace with necessary treatment and rest. Some examples of short-term disability include sprains, torn ligaments, whiplash, concussions, etc.

Defining Permanent Disability

A permanent disability takes place when an injured employee becomes no longer able to recover or work because of the illness or injury. Aka permanent total disability (PTD) this condition appears devastating for the family of the victim since they will require to have long-standing arrangements for managing such conditions. Some examples of permanent disability include loss of both limbs, paralysis, permanent damage of the brain, or total blindness.

Noteworthy, certain injuries are classified as permanent partial disabilities, for instance, nerve damage, post-traumatic stress disorder, etc. They are so-called because, although these conditions are permanent, they may not lead to a complete inability to perform any other work.

How Disability Benefits Differ

Temporary Disability Benefits

Benefits of temporary disability are aimed to provide medical and financial support to a worker injured at work for a specific period of term or until the victim recovers from such a condition.

Again, temporary disability are categorized as temporary partial and temporary total disability. An injured is considered for temporary partial benefits whereas the victim can no longer perform his/her pre-injury duties but can carry out other types of work to form some income. In that case, if the alternative job pays less compared to the pre-injury job income, then the injurer is supposed to bear the difference in income between the two as benefits for a specific period.

With permanent total disability, as the injured become incapable of performing any type of job, the benefits must include financial backup for a considerably large portion of pre-injury income, while the duration of providing the benefit is likely to be significantly lengthier in comparison to partial disability benefits.

Permanent Disability Benefits

The permanent disability benefits typically start subsequent the injured worker has used up benefits against temporary disability and reached the maximum extent of medical improvement. However, if the injured are still found unable to perform any kind of job duty, then they tend to be entitled to permanent disability benefits. Similar to temporary disability, an injured could be a victim of permanent partial disability or permanent total disability. Since both forms of conditions are permanent, the benefits are focused on long-term care.

A victim may not be allowed permanent disability benefits until his/her associated injury or ailment is stable and fixed. This means, that until there is a likelihood for improvement backed by needed medical treatment and rest, the injured worker may not be entitled to disability benefits at that time. They will required to wait until the completion of the medical treatment and further medical evaluation to receive the benefits. However, until then they can seek temporary disability benefits.

As Charles Spinelli says,since denial and dispute on temporary and permanent disability in worker’s comp is widespread, it makes sense to work with an experienced workers’ comp lawyer under such circumstances.