In Pennsylvania, you will find rules in place governing permanent partial disabilities. That’s true in every state, and each one has its own distinct policies that you must follow if you are pursuing this option.
In this article, we will go over permanent partial disability in Pennsylvania. You should know all about it before you apply for it.
What is Permanent Partial Disability?
Permanent partial disability means that you have injured yourself in some way or some other person or entity has injured you. You have sustained a permanent injury. You will never be the same, but you can also still do many things. You have some limitations, but also some capabilities.
If you injure yourself while on the job, you can often get money through workers’ compensation. Workers’ comp insurance exists so you can get the cash you need that should help you if you hurt yourself at work, either temporarily or permanently.
Most companies must have workers’ comp insurance. If they do not, and you hurt yourself, then the state government can crack down hard on that company. Most of them avoid this when they buy and maintain a suitable policy.
Proving Permanent Partial Disability Status
Criteria for permanent partial disability in workers’ comp cases might vary from state to state. In each state, you should examine the bylaws and rules regarding what qualifies. You must also prove that you meet the conditions, or else you can’t get that money.
Usually, when you apply, you must have a doctor who says that you’ve injured yourself and you will never fully recover. Sometimes, it’s not immediately clear how much you’ll recover following an injury. You may get somewhat better as time passes.
In these instances, you must wait before getting permanent partial disability payments. You must have a doctor’s agreement that you have an injury that meets the qualifications, and you’ll likely need X-ray results, MRI results, and anything else that proves you’re a worthy candidate.
What Conditions Qualify You?
You might wonder about what conditions you can have where you can collect permanent partial disability payments. Again, this list might vary in different states, but certain conditions will almost always get you the money you seek.
You might lose vision in one eye, or you may have reduced vision in both eyes. You may have carpal tunnel syndrome. This condition makes your wrists very painful. You sometimes can’t type on a computer or perform other simple tasks if you have it.
You may also have knee injuries that give you chronic pain and make getting around difficult. You may lose your hearing or not hear as well as you once did.
What Other Conditions Might Apply?
You might also sustain a traumatic brain injury. Some TBIs make it impossible to conduct business like you did before. You might not speak very well, or perhaps you can’t fully understand language when someone talks.
If you lose a body part, like an arm or leg, that will certainly qualify you. You may sustain a serious back injury that limits your abilities. You can have a repetitive stress injury that hurts your tendons or other muscles each time you move.
What About Permanent Total Disability?
You may also hear about permanent total disability. To get these payments, you must have different conditions than those we mentioned.
In reality, you can probably do some work with the conditions we’ve mentioned. Maybe you can’t do quite what you did before, but you might work from home with reduced capacity.
If you injure yourself even more severely at work, though, you might get permanent total disability payments instead. You might keep working with just one arm. If you can barely function because you sustained a severe head injury, that means you must collect more money to assist you going forward. You can’t work, not even a little.
How Much Money Can You Get?
If you get permanent partial disability status, you might wonder how much money you’ll get. Every state calculates this a little differently.
For instance, in Pennsylvania, you can get money only after you determine how much money you once made each week, how much your injury impairs you, as a percentage, and also the income you might still earn if you can continue working a little. That formula changes in each state, but the determining factors usually stay the same.
You might get half what you did before, or maybe you’ll get two-thirds. If you can also still work a little, you may boost your income that way.
Adjusting After the Accident or Injury
Some people don’t let their permanent partial disability keep them down. Maybe they can’t work doing the same job they once did, but they can get a position in the same industry. With just one arm or leg, you might work at home and still feel useful and productive.
Some companies need at-home workers. You can keep working with the same business that employed you before, or maybe you’ll hunt and find a job within your industry with a different company where you can work in your study, office, or bedroom.
You can often still conduct Zoom calls, type on the computer, and do other things of that nature. You might maintain an active work life and have close friends as well. You won’t see them face to face, but you can still enjoy meaningful relationships.
Remember that you must meet the qualifications in your state to get the financial compensation you deserve. Also, permanent partial disability is not permanent total disability. You probably still have some capabilities. You must figure out what you can and can’t do and move your life forward as best you can.
Some people feel dejected after an injury of this nature. Others tackle the challenge. You must determine how you’ll react.
This certainly feels like an obstacle, but once you learn what capabilities you have left, you might continue with your life enthusiastically.