Workers’ Compensation Settlements: What Are Disability Classifications?

The classification of your disability is determined by the disability number given to you by the medical professional in charge of your care. Each classification allows a different amount of compensation for the injured party, so it’s important to understand what your injuries qualify as. The four disability classifications are as follows:

• Temporary Partial Disability: If your injuries will heal over time and allow you to return to full capacity.
• Temporary Total Disability: If your disability is expected to be temporary, but prevents you from performing the tasks associated with your job.
• Permanent Partial Disability: If your accident prevents you from completing certain occupational tasks but not the entirety of your job. 
• Permanent Total Disability: If you can’t perform any of the work you could before your accident

The degree of your disability can also be labeled as mild, moderate, marked, or total based on the percentage of disability you’re experiencing. This percentage can be debated during negotiations, so ensure your doctor is taking detailed notes regarding the extent of your injuries.

Workplace accidents can also cause impairment, which includes any mental or emotional damage you may have sustained. Here are the two classifications of impairment:

• Temporary Impairment: If your injury is expected to heal over time.
• Permanent Impairment: If treatment for the injury has plateaued and the condition isn’t expected to heal within a year.

When the treatment for an impairment can’t improve the condition any further, the patient is said to have reached maximum medical improvement (MMI). Permanent impairment requires the patient to have reached MMI, and then they are then compensated at a higher rate.

It can be difficult to trust the settlements offered by insurance companies after decades of their unethical behavior. Your injuries could be worth more than they’re suggesting, and you could be settling for less than you deserve by accepting their offer without additional review. The decision between receiving lump-sum payments or weekly benefits can also cause you stress, as one option could be more beneficial to you and your family than the other. 

By hiring an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer, you can fight for what you deserve and increase your chances of securing the compensation you’re entitled to. You need someone who’s seen your case before and will guide you through your workers’ compensation disability settlement. Lucky for you, that’s what we do best.

A life-altering disability wasn’t included in your job description, and you deserve to be compensated fairly for the suffering you’ve endured. The compassionate attorneys of Morgan & Morgan understand the situation you’re experiencing and want to help ease the stress of your injury by handling the legal aspects.

Insurance companies know our name, so when they hear you’ve teamed up with Morgan & Morgan, they’re more likely to offer a higher settlement to avoid seeing us in the courtroom. They’re aware of how relentlessly we advocate for our clients and know we won’t let them diminish or deny your injuries. 

All law firms are not the same, and Morgan & Morgan has the resources to give your case the attention it deserves. We have an army of attorneys—more than 1,000 to be specific—who are all eager to fight for the compensation you deserve. For over 30 years, we’ve fought For The People, Not The Powerful, and we want to include you in our success.

Complete a free, no-obligation case evaluation to get started.