Connecticut Worker's Compensation Benefits

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The Connecticut Worker’s Compensation system is mandatory. This means that employers are required to provide worker’s compensation insurance for their employees. Worker’s compensation insurance may be provided through a private insurance carrier, or employers may self-insure, but they must provide the State with proof of adequate funding that is set aside to pay for any claims (so called “proof of financial responsibility”).

Special Employment Situations

Connecticut worker’s compensation act also covers all types of workers including private employees and those working for the government, such as police officers, teachers, maintenance workers to name a few.

Can I choose my Doctor?

Complete medical benefits are provided to all employees, who are entitled to Connecticut worker’s compensation benefits. The State of CT by law allows employers to purchase an established managed care plan (also known as a PPO plan) that acts in many ways like a traditional HMO health insurance plan, where an injured worker must treat with a doctor in the plan. However the plan must provide many different options of treaters within the same speciality so that the injured worker can choose a treater that he or she likes within that range of choices. In absence of a qualified and approved managed care plan, then the choice of physician is made by the employee.

How are Monetary Benefits Provided?

Temporary Total Disability (TTD) – Payments made in an amount determined by a percentage of the worker’s wages. This amounts to a little over 60% of one’s wages, and are subject to a weekly maximum amount of payments, even if one’s weekly income far surpasses this maximum weekly amount of a little over $1,000.00/wk. Payments will continue for the duration of the worker’s disability, as determined by a qualified physician.

Temporary Partial Disability (TP) — These are payments paid to an injured employee who has a light duty work restriction from a qualified physician, but whose employer does not have suitable work to match these restrictions. To receive these TP benefits, when the employer cannot accommodate the job restrictions of the employee, the employee must perform 5 job searches a week looking for light duty work with potential employers. These TP benefits are also about 60% of an employee’s normal rate of pay, and subject to the same weekly maximum.

Specific Award — These are paid after an employee has reached maximum medical improvement and is deemed to have sustained a permanent partial impairments to one or more injured body parts, as determined by a qualified physician. Each body part, by law is worth a maximum number of weeks, with the employee receiving payment at their comp rate of about 60% of their pay for the percentage of their impairment times the maximum number of weeks assigned by law for that particular body part.

Miscellaneous Other Benefits

Connecticut Worker’s Compensation Benefits are available for mileage reimbursement for the injured worker driving to and from the doctor’s office. Awards of money are also available for permanent scarring, generally limited to the facial area. Vocational rehabilitation is also available based on state agency funding for a worker to be re-trained into a new profession if they can no longer continue in the previous job due to physical limitations from their work injuries.

Limits on Connecticut Workman’s Compensation Related Attorney Fees

Attorney fees are limited to 20% of any specific award; 20% if the entire matter is closed out or “stipped;”or if the attorney has to go to a hearing to recover the employee his or her TT or TP payments. It is done on a contingency basis so that the attorney only receives legal fees of he or she recovers for the injured worker the benefits described herein.

At Tindall Law Firm, LLC we are very experienced in helping those with injuries to receive the just compensation to which they are entitled. Please contact us with any questions on this topic or any other legal issues by calling us at (203) 755-0018 or visiting us online at http://tindall.webozy.net with all your legal needs.