After Virginia workers sustain injuries on the job, they may need to take time off to recover. Sometimes, they may receive permanent disability benefits while they are out of work.
There are two types of workers’ compensation disability benefits. According to the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission, people may receive either temporary or permanent disability benefits. People may only receive permanent disability benefits if their injury will not heal completely. There are two kinds of these benefits.
Permanent partial disability benefits
These benefits are for people who will not experience a full recovery but can still work. A doctor usually evaluates a worker’s injury and determines that the injury has healed as much as possible. People may need permanent partial disability benefits if they lose the ability to use one of their body parts or one of their senses. Amputation or extensive scarring may also qualify for these benefits.
If people want to receive permanent partial disability benefits, they need a doctor’s report on their condition. This report needs to include photographs that demonstrate the extent of the injury and documents that show the patient has improved as much as possible.
Permanent total disability benefits
If people cannot return to work at all because of their injuries, they may be eligible for permanent total disability benefits. According to the Commonwealth of Virginia, these permanent injuries can take many different forms. Workers may qualify for these benefits if they incur an injury that causes them to experience total paralysis. A severe brain injury or the loss of two limbs may also be qualifying conditions.
Sometimes, people may experience the partial loss of their hearing or vision. Because these conditions can be permanent, workers with these injuries may also qualify for permanent total disability benefits.