Fort Collins Lost Wages Workers Comp Attorney
Have you or a loved one been injured on the job? If that injury was work-related, you would likely be eligible to recover lost wages due to your injury or illness.
With 30 years of expertise in workers’ compensation law, the team at Eley Law Firm can help ensure that you receive all of the benefits that are due to you.
Get started with us through a free, no-obligation case review and consultation today.
What Are Lost Wages In Workers’ Compensation Cases?
Lost wages refer to the income an employee cannot earn due to a work-related illness or injury. This broad category of earnings is comprised of many different types of compensation.
It includes
- Wages lost when the employee was unable to work due to receiving medical treatment or not being cleared to work
- Future earnings the employee due to long-term impairment, known as loss of future earning potential
Additional Forms Of Lost Wages
Lost wages can be considered a loss of earning capacity, meaning the employee can no longer work. Additionally, there’s lost compensation, which may sound similar to lost wages but is slightly different – this is in the loss of other financial benefits that are not wage-related.
The payments provided by workers’ compensation can help restore a portion of wages, allowing the employee to focus on recovery without worrying about financial hardship.
Calculating Lost Wages
After an individual is injured at work and assessed by a physician, found that a work-related injury caused their injury or illness, and can no longer perform job duties due to that injury, that employee will likely be eligible to receive workers’ compensation.
Under Colorado’s Workers’ Compensation Act, Coloradans can begin to collect disability benefits after three days/shifts of being unable to work (although these are not compensated unless the worker cannot work for two weeks).
Forms Of Temporary Disability In Colorado
Temporary disability benefits compensate you for wages lost during treatment for a work-related injury or illness.
- Temporary Total Disability (TTD): if you cannot work while receiving active medical treatment for your injury, you will receive up to 2/3rds of your average weekly wage.
- Temporary Partial Disability (TPD): If you can work part-time or modified duty while undergoing medical treatment, you may receive temporary partial disability (TPD) benefits. This amounts to 2/3 of your pre-injury average weekly wage and your earnings from part-time or modified employment combined.
Long-term disability insurance policies will reduce the wages you can earn from your workers’ compensation case, as the policy will supplement it.
Additionally, If you reach MMI without returning to pre-injury capacity, you may qualify for permanent disability benefits.
Eley Law Firm Is Fighting For Your Right To Workers’ Comp Benefits In Fort Collins
When you’re healing after an occupational injury, the Eley Law Firm can help you navigate the complex process of getting the benefits you and your family deserve.
Considering that employers can try to accuse you of “cheating the system” to reduce what they need to pay you or try other ways of shirking their responsibility, you deserve to have an attorney on your side that knows Colorado workers’ compensation law inside and out.
If you need assistance, we’re ready to discuss your case with you. Request your lost wages workers’ compensation consultation today.