South Jersey Lawyers for Temporary or Permanent Disability Claims

The right to receive benefits under the New Jersey workers’ compensation system depends on the worker’s ability to prove that a work-related injury prevents him or her from working for at least seven days. Regardless of the nature of the injury, its duration or its severity, this inability to work is known as a period of total disability, with most claims classified as temporary total disability benefits.

If you need legal advice about your right to collect workers’ compensation benefits for a temporary or permanent injury resulting in disability, contact Taylor & Boguski, LLC, in Mount Laurel for a free consultation. Our named partners each have more than 30 years of experience with injury and accident claims of all kinds, and our lawyers can give you an accurate understanding of your workers’ compensation rights while helping you overcome any obstacles to full payment of the benefits you deserve.

Temporary Total Disability Claims in New Jersey

Most injured employees will eventually recover from the medical conditions that keep them out of work. Temporary total disability benefits are payable through workers’ compensation for any period when work-related medical conditions keep an employee away from their job.

These benefits are paid for as long as the employee is unable to work and is under active medical care. Temporary total disability benefits end either when the employee returns to work or has reached the point of maximum medical improvement (MMI).

Disputes between the injured employee and the workers’ compensation insurance carrier can develop at any stage of the benefits application and payment process. Our attorneys have the experience necessary to anticipate and resolve these disputes, whether they involve the work-related nature of the injury, the evaluation of the worker as disabled, the nature and extent of the injuries, the correct amount of the benefits to be paid or the employee’s ability to return to work.

Understanding Your Right to Permanent Partial Disability Benefits

Permanent partial disability benefits are available for workers who suffer irreversible physical damage, but who nevertheless are able to return to work. The loss of one or more fingers, toes or teeth in a work-related accident are examples of permanent partial disabilities that could generate benefits for workers whose period of temporary total disability has come to an end.

A claim for permanent partial disability can be based on the full loss of a body part, such as a hand, which will then result in payment of 100 percent of the amount listed on a schedule of specific injuries. A less severe permanent injury could result in a permanent disability rating that would pay a percentage of the amount listed on the schedule. Permanent partial disability payments begin when the temporary total disability payments are completed, whether through returning to work or reaching the point of maximum medical improvement.

Permanent Total Disability Benefits for the Worst Work-Related Injuries

When a catastrophic injury results in a complete inability to resume work, the seriously injured employee might be able to collect benefits for a permanent total disability. Permanent total disability is presumed when a worker loses the entire use of two or more major body parts, but it can also be proved upon facts that show a complete inability to resume gainful employment after a work-related injury.

If granted, permanent total disability benefits can be paid for up to 450 weeks, which can be extended upon proof that the disabling condition continues to prevent the person from returning to work. In many cases, our lawyers can obtain a grant of permanent total disability benefits together with Social Security disability insurance payments under a separate application and review process.

To learn more about the ways our decades of familiarity with New Jersey workers’ compensation processes can benefit you after a serious accident on the job, contact the attorneys of Taylor & Boguski in Mount Laurel for a free consultation.

The lawyers at Taylor & Boguski represent clients throughout South Jersey including the townships of Mount Laurel, Cherry Hill, Mt. Holly, Burlington, Gloucester, Camden, Moorestown, Medford, Voorhees, Haddonfield, Marlton, and Evesham, and the counties of Burlington, Gloucester, Mercer, and Camden.