If you suffer injuries on the job, you might become eligible for temporary disability payments. Like most working adults, you have financial obligations, so you may worry about the final amount. Unfortunately, there is no one response that suits everyone. How much you receive depends on how much money you earn, on average, in a week.
According to the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, workers injured for more than a week may become eligible for payments that total 70% of average weekly wages. If you have a high-paying job, you may receive less money. This is because New Jersey requires that payments not exceed 75% of the average weekly wages calculated for the state.
How long do you receive payments?
New Jersey requires these payments to continue for as long as you remain unable to work or in medical care. Once you reach your maximum medical improvement or become eligible to return to work in some capacity, you may no longer receive payments. Maximum medical improvement refers to the point where further medical treatment may not improve your condition, such as when you have long-term or permanent disabilities.
What happens if I have disabilities?
If you have qualifying permanent disabilities, then when your temporary disability payments end, your permanent disability payments begin. In the case of a partial disability, payments depend on the type of disability and the percentage of this disability. When the injuries result in total disability based on the inability to return to work, benefits may continue for 450 weeks. After 450 weeks, you may see a reduction in income based on income received at the time of the injury.
How the relevant authorities calculate your weekly average income can make all the difference. Try to collect all the income documentation you have, including tax returns, W2s and proof of overtime work completed.