Can I Receive Workers’ Compensation Benefits for Past Lost Wages?

A work injury causes damage that is much more extensive than the medical effects. The inability to work contributes to a financial deficit that the injured employee and their family must account for during the recovery period.

Thankfully, the workers’ compensation system accounts for the damages that result from being unable to earn income. Injured workers are entitled to benefits that cover lost wages, including past earnings that were lost in the aftermath of an on-the-job accident.

Recovering Past Wages

Following a work accident, employees must focus on recovering from their injuries while simultaneously beginning the process of filing a workers’ compensation claim. During this period, injured employees are not able to work but have not yet begun earning their workers’ compensation benefits.

The workers’ compensation system does account for this gap in coverage and income, and most claims provide benefits that retroactively compensate employees for wages lost before their claim was accepted. The Alvandi Law Group, P.C. legal team can help you recover the full amount of benefits you deserve, including any injury-related expenses that were incurred before your claim was approved.

Wage Benefits in a Workers’ Compensation Case

Once your claim is approved and you begin receiving workers’ compensation benefits, those benefits should account for the wages you will lose during your recovery. Wage benefits are often allotted at a percentage of the employee’s pre-injury income and continue only while the employee is labeled as physically unable to work by their workers’ compensation doctor. Any wage benefits will stop being distributed to an injured employee once they reach “maximum medical improvement,” or if they are eligible to return to work in a modified capacity.

Some work injury victims are able to return to a “modified” or “alternative” job position and continue earning wages while they recover from their injuries. In these cases, an employee would earn a regular paycheck rather than receiving income through the workers’ compensation wage benefits structure. A person who is eventually able to return to work could still be compensated retroactively for past lost wages, if applicable.

At Alvandi Law Group, P.C., our legal practice is focused exclusively on helping the victims of on-the-job injuries recover the benefits they deserve. To discuss the details of your workers’ compensation case, contact our firm today.