What would happen to you and your family if you were hurt on the job and temporarily or permanently disabled? For construction workers, electricians, machinists, farmers, truck drivers, and others in high-risk occupations, surviving a Maryland work accident can be just the start of an uphill battle. Keeping up with day-to-day medical and living expenses, while recovering from a work-related accident, can be an enormous struggle for injured Md. workers and their families.
Harford County, Md. work comp injury lawyers know families may struggle just to get by in the wake of a work related accident. This is why we work hard to relieve injured Maryland workers and their families of the burden of dealing with their Maryland Workers’ Compensation claims and well as related legal claims and lawsuits.
How much money can a Maryland injured worker expect to receive when filing a Workers’ Comp claim on their own? The Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commission posted its Workers’ Compensation Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) for the New Year. Let’s take a look at a few numbers and consider what that could mean for injured Md. workers and their families.
- In 2011, the cost of living adjustment for people with permanent total disability went down (by -.04 percent), after decades of yearly increases. That speaks to state of the economy AND the challenges for injured Maryland workers to receive ample compensation to get by. However…
- The cost of living rate for people with total permanent disability will increase by 1.6 percent for 2012.
- The Average Weekly Wage of workers covered by Maryland Unemployment for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2010 is $965.
However, an injured worker should not expect to necessarily receive compensation equal to 100 percent of their salary earned prior to the Maryland work accident. Here’s where things can get very complicated, very quickly.
For example, for Temporary Total Disability and Partial Total Disability, the State of Maryland may award an injured worker, “Two-thirds of the employee’s Average Weekly Wage not to exceed 100% of the State Average Weekly Wage or $965.00.” Rates for Permanent Partial Disability and Temporary Partial Disability are set at varying percentages, and compensation may be awarded for a certain number of weeks (e.g., less than, equal to, or greater than 75 weeks). Death Benefits are calculated with a separate formula considering the deceased employee’s income, state average wage, and family dependents.
Peruse the Maryland Workers’ Compensation documents referenced below, and you’ll get an idea of how quickly things can become complicated for an injured worker in Md. When less money is coming in and medical bills start piling up, injured workers and their families can suffer financial hardship. This is why we strongly urge anyone hurt on the job in Maryland to contact an experienced Maryland Work Comp injury lawyer. We know the players — including the Md. Workers’ Compensation Commission, the insurance companies, and our colleagues in court — and we know how to pursue the maximum benefits allowable by law for our clients.
Related Maryland Injury Attorney article:
How MD Workers’ Compensation Works with a Motor Vehicle Accident Liability Claim
Sources:
Maryland Workers’ Compensation Rates
Informational Notice: Annual Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA):
State of Maryland Workers’ Compensation Cost of Living Adjustment Rates (PDF)
MARYLAND WORKERS’ COMPENSATION COMMISSION:
MAXIMUM RATE OF BENEFITS FOR CALENDAR YEAR 2012 (PDF)