Does Vermont Workers’ Compensation Pay Your Full Salary?
Suffering a work-related injury can be stressful. On top of the pain and recovery process, you may also have to deal with a sudden loss of income. If you have been injured on the job in Vermont, you may be wondering how you will handle your daily bills. You may be asking, “Will workers’ compensation pay my full salary?” Unfortunately, no. After a work injury in Vermont, workers’ compensation only covers a portion of your lost wages. However, workers’ compensation does provide other important support.
In this article, we discuss what Vermont workers’ compensation actually pays, how benefits are calculated, and what additional help may be available to injured workers. Understanding these details is crucial for planning ahead and ensuring you receive all the benefits to which you are entitled.
How Much of Your Pay Does Workers’ Compensation Cover?
In Vermont, if a work-related injury prevents you from doing your job, you may be entitled to receive Temporary Total Disability (TTD) benefits. These benefits are meant to replace a portion of your lost wages and not cover your full lost salary. Under Vermont workers’ compensation rules, TTD benefits typically amount to two-thirds of your average weekly wage.
It is important to note that Vermont sets minimum and maximum benefit limits that change annually. This means that even if two-thirds of your average weekly wage is higher than the state maximum, you can only receive up to the limit. And if two-thirds of your weekly pay is less than the minimum limit, you will receive at least the minimum limit.
When Do Benefits Begin?
Some employees mistakenly believe that wage replacement benefits start immediately after a work injury. In Vermont, there is a three-day waiting period before these benefits kick in. This means that you will not receive payment for the first three days you are out of work. However, if your injury keeps you out of work for more than 10 days, the law requires those three days to be paid retroactively.
Other Types of Benefits You Can Recover
While you cannot recover your full salary through a workers’ compensation claim, Vermont law allows injured workers to recover other benefits on top of wage replacement benefits. Here are some of the other essential workers’ compensation benefits you can recover if you suffered an injury while on the job in Vermont;
- Medical Benefits: All reasonable and necessary medical care related to your work injury.
- Temporary Partial Disability (TPD) Benefits: If you are allowed to return to part-time or light-duty work and you earn less than before the injury.
- Permanent Disability Benefits: If your doctor determines you have a permanent impairment after you reach MMI.
- Vocational Rehabilitation Benefits: If you cannot go back to your old job. These benefits include job training, education, and assistance in finding new employment. However, these benefits are not cash payments like the other benefits.
Steps To Take After a Work-Related Injury
If you’ve suffered a job-related injury;
- Report the injury immediately to your employer
- Seek prompt medical attention
- Maintain records of your pay (for calculating your wage replacement benefits)
- Maintain other records, such as your medical records (for calculating your other benefits)
- Contact an attorney for help pursuing your deserved compensation
Contact Sluka Law PLC Today
If you’ve suffered a work injury and need help recovering the benefits you deserve, contact our skilled Vermont workers’ comp lawyer at Sluka Law PLC today.
Source:
labor.vermont.gov/sites/labor/files/doc_library/Worker%27s%20Comp%20Rules%20index.pdf
