When You’re Worried about Lost Wages After an Accident
- Dan T. Matrafajlo
- Wed Sep 2017
- Accident,
- 0
In theory, the idea of saving for a rainy day seems like a great one. However, according to news sources, nearly eighty percent of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. After an accident, your worries are not just about feeling better and returning to work. More than likely, you are also concerned about reimbursement of lost wages while you’re out of work.
Admittedly, the accident that caused your injuries can be devastating. On its surface, it will surely appear difficult to figure out how to make sure that your bills get covered. If you have your own disability coverage with a company such as Aflac, you will want to let them know that you are out of work. However, in the meantime, you need to know about other revenue sources.
How Did the Accident Occur?
To start with, it matters how the accident happened. Were you in the course of your employment? In some cases, you might be considered to be on the job if you were in a motor vehicle accident. For example, someone who delivers packages for large enterprises like Fed Ex or UPS could be injured when another vehicle strikes them.
Determining the circumstances of the accident is the first step to ascertaining how your lost wages will be paid. Let’s start with a review of compensation for work-related accidents.
Workers’ Compensation Temporary Disability Payments
If you are injured in the course of your employment, you are entitled to a certain percentage of temporary disability benefits. (Your employer is also expected to pay your medical bills, and you may be eligible for at least a portion of permanent disability benefits.)
In a previous article, we provided you with information regarding the seven day waiting period. After the waiting period, you are entitled to 70 percent of your gross average wages over the last twenty-six weeks. However, there are maximum and minimum amounts that are determined according to the year of your accident.
For an accident that occurred in 2017, the maximum amount of temporary disability payments is $896 weekly. The minimum for this same year is $239 weekly. For further information, you can review this chart to determine rates for each year.
What happens if you are hurt at work, and your employer and the insurance company deny the claim? Your attorney can help you file paperwork with the State of New Jersey so that you can receive disability payments from them. Consequently, if you win your compensation case, the money will need to be paid back to the state.
State Disability Insurance
We’ve already provided you with one example where you could be entitled to state disability. In other cases, state disability insurance is for employees who have been injured outside the workplace but still find themselves unable to perform their jobs and earn a living. These are temporary benefits into which claimants pay every pay period as a standard deduction. Payments are administered weekly and cannot exceed $633 per week, per New Jersey Department of Labor regulations.
As far as state benefits, payments are calculated using claimants’ average weekly wage and end up being two-thirds of their weekly earnings up to the maximum allowable amount.
PIP Benefits
Were you injured in an automobile accident? You may have heard the term PIP, which stands for Personal Injury Protection. If you have a standard automobile policy, your PIP benefits may include a provision for reimbursement of lost wages.
Let Us Help You Make Sense of It All
Injured and confused? There is no reason to try to figure things out on your own. The Beninato and Matrafajlo legal team are ready to help you understand your options and rights under the law. Contact our team today for a free no, obligation consultation so you can start taking care of yourself and your family. We look forward to helping you.
