Limitations on Colorado Workers’ Compensation Benefits you Need to Know About
If you’re injured on-the-job in Colorado, there are certain benefits you are entitled to. But with the exception of medical benefits, which are supposed to pay all of your medical expenses, there are limitations to what you can receive in workers’ compensation benefits in Colorado.
The two primary benefits affected by these caps are temporary disability and permanent partial disability benefits.
Caps are determined by several factors but primarily hinge on the impairment rating your treating physician assigns to your case once you reach maximum medical improvement (MMI), or the point where your condition stabilizes and quits improving. You should know however that these caps do not take effect until your physician declares you have reached MMI.
For injuries occurring on or after January 1, 2006, the cap for combined temporary and permanent partial disability benefits is $75,000 if your impairment rating is 25% or less and $150,000 if your impairment rating is higher than 25%. For injuries occurring before 2006, the caps are $60,000 and $120,000 respectively.
How much you ultimately receive in permanent partial disability benefits can be affected by the caps. Let’s say you’re out of work for two years because of an injury at work in which time you receive $50,000 in temporary disability benefits during your treatment. The physician assigns a 15% impairment rating, which ordinarily would be worth $40,000 in compensation. However, because of the $75,000 cap, you are only entitled to receive $25,000.
A new article series in the Colorado workers’ compensation knowledge center takes a more in-depth look at these limitations and how they affect what you ultimately receive in benefits. Read Colorado Workers’ Compensation Benefit Limitations to learn more.
And if you’re having trouble obtaining the benefits you’re entitled to or the doctor you’re seeing isn’t fully addressing your problem, please contact Colorado workers’ compensation attorneys at the Babcock Law Firm today.
Tags: legal tips, workers' comp insurance, Workers' Compensation
