When you apply for workers’ compensation benefits in Philadelphia, you will be designated as partially disabled or totally disabled. The state of Pennsylvania provides partial disability benefits “when an employee returns to work, or is medically able to perform currently available work as determined by an agreement or a Judge’s decision, but at wages which are lower than the employee’s earnings prior to the injury” (emphasis theirs). Workers who receive partial benefits:
- Can collect them for up to 500 weeks, though they do not have to be consecutive weeks
- Are entitled to two-thirds of the difference between what you earned before you were injured (pre-injury pay) and what you earned after you were injured (post-injury earning power)
So if you make $1000.00 a week and then you are injured at work, and the state designates you partially disabled, your benefits would be calculated like this:
$1000.00 per week (pre-injury pay) – $500.00 per week (post-injury earning power) = $500.00
$500.00 x 2/3 = $333.34 in partial disability benefits each week
Therefore, if you are injured at a Philadelphia workplace and are granted partial disability status, the state will give you $333.34 each week to help supplement your income as you work in a new position for fewer wages. If your company places you in a position where the salary is the same but you work fewer hours than you did in your original position, you can still apply for and receive partial disability benefits from the state.
What the state will not do, however, is pay you more money that you would have earned without working at all, so it is crucial that you keep working while you collect partial disability benefits. If you quit your job, you could lose out on your benefits altogether.
At Larry Pitt & Associates, our Philadelphia workers’ compensation lawyers help injured workers all over the state collect the benefits they need to survive and to protect their families. If you are designated partially disabled but are truly totally disabled, we can help you apply for a change in status. If you have applied for workers’ compensation benefits before but have been denied, we can help you with your claim. To find out more about our workers’ compensation services, please contact the firm to schedule an appointment at one of our multiple office locations serving Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties.
