In 2021, the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry reported paying $1.62 billion in benefits to injured workers in the state.
If you suffer an injury on the job, you may have the right to seek lost wages benefits, but there are guidelines and rules that determine your eligibility.
The waiting period rules
There is a waiting period between the time of the injury and the payment of wage loss benefits. You must miss three days of work. However, you will not begin to get payment until 10 days after your first missed day. You will receive pay for all the missed days at that point. The system counts days as calendar days not work days.
Amount of wages in benefits
You will not receive your full pay through workers’ compensation benefits. The program pays based on your disability status.
With a status of temporary total disability, you will receive 2/3 of your average pay for up to 130 weeks.
For temporary partial disability, you will receive the difference between what you made previously on average and what you can make now with restrictions due to the injury. You will only get 2/3 of that amount up to the first of 275 weeks of payments or 450 weeks after your injury date.
A permanent total disability status enables you to receive payment of 2/3 of your average wages.
Permanent partial disability pays out depending on your percentage of disability. Some people receive these payments along with TPD, PTD or TTD.
Navigating the intricacies of wage loss benefits in Minnesota’s workers’ compensation system can be confusing. It all depends on your level of disability. For this reason, receiving the correct disability classification is imperative.