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Determining the Correct TTD and PPD Benefit Amount in Georgia Workers’ Compensation Claims

This is the second in a series of blog articles about wage loss payments (temporary total disability and temporary partial disability benefits) in Georgia Workers’ Compensation claims.  The first article in this series discussed what temporary total and temporary partial disability benefits are and when they are first paid in a workers’ compensation case.

This article will discuss how the amount of your temporary total disability benefit check is determined.

The insurance company should sent you a document explaining how your average weekly wage was calculatedDetermining the amount of your TTD benefits

The amount of your temporary total disability benefit check is based on the amount you were earning from your employer on average at the time of your injury.  Your earnings can include wages, tips, per diems, and other benefits (for a more complete discussion, see this article).

Your earnings used to determine your TTD benefit amount can also include other jobs that you were working at the time of your injury as long as the work was similar to the job in which you were injured.

How is Average Weekly Wage Calculated?

In most situation, your employer or their insurance company should take your gross earnings from the thirteen weeks before your injury.  The average of the thirteen week of earnings is your “average weekly wage”.

You should receive a document called a Form WC-6 that explains how your average weekly wage was calculated.  Be sure and save this document so you can refer to it later.

When you are paid temporary total disability or permanent partial disability benefits, your check should be two-thirds of that average weekly wage, subject to a maximum of $575 per week (or less if your date of injury was prior to July 1, 2016).  So, if your average weekly wage was $600, you will receive $400 per week (two-thirds of $600) in temporary total disability benefits.

In some situations where you did not work most of the thirteen weeks before your injury, the insurance company will use the wages of a similar employee to determine your average weekly wage.  It can be difficult to determine who qualifies as a similar employee. The insurance company may try to use someone who has lower wages than you.

If there is no similar employee, your “full time weekly wage” will be used.  In either one of these situations, your temporary total disability amount will still be two-thirds of the average weekly wage subject to the maximum amount mentioned above.

What about temporary partial disability benefits?

Temporary partial disability benefits are paid when you make less per week than you were making before your injury. Your average weekly wage is important in calculating those benefits. We discuss the payment of temporary partial disability benefits and how the amount of temporary partial disability benefits is determined in this article.

 

What if I have other questions about workers compensation?

Georgia’s workers compensation system can be very confusing.  You have to worry about getting the treatment you need and paying your bills while also worrying about not missing any deadlines that could cause you to lose your right to receive workers compensation benefits.

If you have questions, I would recommend that you try to get answers.  To find out more about how to schedule a time to talk to me about your workers compensation questions, just read this short article.

Jason Perkins is an attorney who specializes in representing injured workers.  He regularly publishes videos and write blog articles about Georgia’s workers compensation system and issues that are important to injured workers and their families.

To be notified of Jason’s new workers compensation videos, subscribe to his Georgia Workers Compensation Video Series channel on YouTube by clicking the subscribe button below.

Brittney-lee orourkeBrittney-lee orourke
05:23 18 Feb 22
Amazing! Jason and his team were very helpful and had the best communication by far. Walked me though every step with great detail and had answers for any question I had. They handled my case better then I could imagine, it was a weird case and they stayed on top of it and kept me updated every step of the way! Highly recommend this Team! Thanks so much to Jason and his Awesome team!-Brittney
China JonesChina Jones
18:58 08 Feb 22
I absolutely love this group of attorneys, when I was at my lowest they did everything they could to help me get justice for my injury. I believe if I were to have never picked my phone up and called the amazing group that helped me I definitely would not have received my idea of rights. If you have an issue and are just not sure please understand that they will help you, stay in contact, answer any question you have, and for sure get you the justice you deserve I thank them from the bottom of my heart and I will definitely refer them to anyone who has been hurt because they most definitely care about their work and clients.
Luv LocsLuv Locs
16:08 15 Jan 22
The entire law office was attentive and responsive to all of my concerns dealing with my workers compensation case.
moombimoombi
21:14 02 Jan 22
If you must get a lawyer involved, you’d do well to work with Jason Perkins and his team at Perkins Studdard Law.They were thorough in gathering information and in sharing all the steps in the workers comp process specific to my case. Jason and the team were responsive to my bevy of questions and concerns.I appreciated the informative videos and consultations provided by Jason over video meetings and multiple phone calls.I hope I’m never injured on the job again. However, if I am and if my employer responds as my previous employer did, I’ll contact Perkins Studdard Law immediately to handle the case.
Dana BessDana Bess
23:57 10 Dec 21
Everyone at Perkins Studdard was kind and professional. They were always extremely responsive and answered all questions that I had and followed up to make sure I had an understanding of what was going on along with emailing videos to explain every step of my case so I would know what to expect and be prepared. Jason is a very genuine person and I trusted him with my case. He answered so many questions for me even before I retained him as my WC lawyer. I highly recommend him and his associates at Perkins Studdard.
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