The duration of your workers’ compensation benefits in Florida will depend on whether you suffered a temporary or permanent on-the-job injury and the extent of your recovery. Further, benefits for a temporary injury will not be paid after 260 weeks (i.e., five years) from the date of your injury, regardless of the state of your recovery. If you have a permanent injury that prevents you from working a sedentary job, such permanent benefits could continue until the age of 75.
Our knowledgeable Florida workers’ compensation lawyers at Berlin Law Firm can help you recover the largest available benefits package over the full amount of time you may need to get back on your feet.
Our team is extremely experienced with the many tactics used by insurance companies to deny or minimize your claim. We will not let their methods obstruct your rightful benefits.
How are workers’ compensation time limits determined?
If your claim is approved, your workers’ compensation benefits will begin to be paid as of the 8th day after you were injured. You will be expected to use your sick leave for the first seven days unless your injury keeps you away from work for more than 21 days. In that case, you will be paid retroactive benefits for the first seven days.
Your benefits will continue to be paid until the end of the statutory limit for payments or your recovery has reached its Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI) as determined by a physician. A physician’s conclusion that you have reached your MMI for your injury is often subjective. If you need more recuperation time, your workers’ comp attorney can challenge a physician’s MMI conclusion and help you extend the duration.
How long do benefits last if an injury leads to a permanent disability?
Suppose your injury causes a permanent partial disability such that you can do some but not all of the regular tasks of your job. In that case, a physician will determine an impairment rating when you reach your MMI, which will be used to calculate the duration of your benefits.
If your injury leaves you permanently and totally disabled such that you can no longer work at all, you may be eligible to recover workers’ comp benefits until you are 75 years old. Any settlement of a permanent total claim must consider Medicare’s interests if you become a Medicare beneficiary during the duration of your workers’ compensation claim.
Call Berlin Law Firm for a Free Consultation
Our team has helped thousands of injured Florida workers maximize the duration of their benefits payments. We have offices in Sarasota and Tampa and offer no-fee, no-obligation consultations to all injured Florida workers.
Please call us after you have suffered a work-related injury for an overview of how to apply for workers’ compensation benefits and how long they might last. If you hire us to help you, we will fight for your right to get benefits payments for as long as your disability keeps you from working.
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