Disability 101

There are four types of disability claims that you may be eligible for after an injury.  Claims are broken into two categories depending on the length of the injury: Temporary and permanent.

Then they are broken down depending on the severity of the injury. The type of disability you qualify for determines what type of disability benefits you will receive. Here is a simple breakdown of the four types of disability claims.

Temporary Disability

To be considered for temporary disability, you must be unable to perform your regular work duties or are hospitalized for more than 3 consecutive days. There are two types of temporary disabilities:

Temporary Partial Disability prevents you from doing your normal job for a limited amount of time, but you can do some work. When you have been injured your doctor may limit your work to light duty or fewer hours in order to aid in the healing process and this may result in lost wages.

Temporary Total Disability prevents you from working at all, but only for a limited amount of time. Temporary disability concludes when you’ve recovered or doctors decide that you won’t completely recover.

Permanent Disability

To be considered for permanent disability, you need to prove that you will not ever be able to perform your regular work duties as a result of the disability. There are two types of permanent disabilities:

Permanent Partial Disability involves some permanent damage from the injury that partially impairs your ability to work.

Permanent Total Disability is when the wage-earning capacity is completely lost as a result of the injury.  To qualify for permanent total disability, you need proof that your injuries are so extensive that you can’t return to your job.