Plain-English guides on workers' compensation. How benefits are calculated, what drives a settlement, and what your options are when the insurer's number does not match yours.
Workers comp benefits follow a formula, not a judgment call. This guide walks through how the weekly benefit rate, lost wages, and permanent disability awards are each calculated from your average weekly wage and impairment rating.
Read →A workers comp settlement closes your claim for a payment. Stipulated findings, clincher agreements, and structured settlements each close different things. Know which one you are signing.
Read →Workers comp is a state-run system, and the differences are material. California's Permanent Disability Rating Schedule includes occupation and age adjustments no other major state uses. Texas lets most private employers opt out entirely.
Read →TTD benefits end when you return to work, reach maximum medical improvement, or hit the state's week limit. PPD benefits run for a fixed period calculated from your impairment rating. This guide covers what ends each type.
Read →An impairment rating is the percentage that drives your PPD settlement. It is assigned by a physician after you reach maximum medical improvement. Insurers sometimes arrange their own exam. The two numbers do not always agree.
Read →Filing a workers comp claim does not protect your job in most states. Firing someone because they filed a claim is different: that is retaliation, illegal everywhere, and it exposes the employer to liability beyond the comp claim itself.
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