The employee must cooperate with medical treatment or the weekly benefits may be suspended. Medical bills should be sent to the insurance carrier for payment. Permanent Partial Impairment Separate benefits are payable for the permanent loss of use of a body part such as an arm, leg, finger, or eye. Vision and hearing loss, as well as disfigurement may also be compensated. This does not include the back, neck or body as a whole.
Benefits are for a specific number of weeks depending on the percentage of loss.
The employee can receive these benefits while working if maximum medical improvement has been reached. Permanent and Total Disability Lifetime wage benefits may be payable if an individual loses both hands, arms, feet, legs, eyes, or any two in the same accident, or is paralyzed or disabled from a severe brain injury. A surviving spouse, children under 18, children under 23 enrolled full time in an accredited educational institution, parents in destitute circumstances or other qualifying dependents may be entitled to wage loss benefits. Cost of living increases must be specifically requested by the employee. Vocational Rehabilitation Employees who are released to light duty work must prove that they are actively looking for a light duty job, even if they expect to return to their regular job.