Getting hurt on the job often means missing at least the rest of an injured worker’s shift. The more serious an injury is, the more likely it becomes that an Ohio worker will require time away from their job. Workers’ compensation insurance is an important form of support for those with a significant work injury. Those who will miss a significant amount of time from work can qualify for disability benefits. There are also medical benefits available that will cover the cost of someone’s treatment. These disability benefits are often a crucial safeguard for those temporarily unable to work.
There are both temporary or short-term disability benefits and permanent or long-term benefits available through Ohio workers’ compensation. People who cannot work at all until they recover could qualify for temporary total disability benefits if their recovery is expected to last long enough that they’re made eligible for this kind of compensation.
Workers must miss a week or more
For someone injured on the job in Ohio to receive short-term disability pay that will cover a portion of their lost wages until they return to work, they will need to be away from the job for at least seven days to qualify for benefits. The benefits will start on the eighth day. The first seven days will not be eligible for coverage unless the condition persists. For someone to receive coverage for those first seven days of lost work time, they will need to be away from work for at least 14 days. At that point, they can potentially receive coverage for all of the time that they were unable to work.
Short-term disability only applies for as long as a worker’s condition is temporary and improving. Eventually, workers who do not recover and who do not fully regain function may need to transition to long-term disability benefits. However, it can be very challenging to make sense of all of the bureaucratic rules that apply to disability coverage through workers’ compensation. Learning the basics of this system can empower employees to obtain the coverage they need when they can’t currently work because of an injury sustained while they were engaged in work-related activities.