When you’re injured on the job, you may get compensation for more than just your medical bills. You could also get money for lost wages while you’re out of work. If you are temporarily disabled, for example, you get disability payments until you’ve healed and you can go back into the workforce.
So, when you do return to your job, are your benefits going to stop?
As you probably expect, the benefits do stop in most cases. You could still get money for any future medical costs that are a result of the injury, but, if you can work, you won’t be covered for lost wages. This is true as long as you make as much as you did before or if you’re promoted to a higher-paying position.
One way that you could still get wage payments is if you return to work and make less than you did before. Perhaps you’re given another job that doesn’t pay as well as your old job. Perhaps you’re able to work, but you can only do 20 hours instead of 40, and you’re paid on an hourly basis. There are numerous ways that you could earn less, even if you can work, and then you may get wage compensation payments to help make up the difference.
If you can’t do the same job, employers are encouraged to provide you with a different job that you can do, or workers’ comp may pay for vocational training so that you can learn a new skill.
When collecting benefits in New Jersey, it’s very important to know what you should be paid, how long the payments will last, and how changes in your situation can impact those payments.
Source: FIndLaw, “Workers’ Comp Benefits and Returning to Work,” accessed Feb. 19, 2016