Opinion ID: 2543822
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Temporary disability compensation is designed to replace an injured worker's total or partial loss of wages during the healing period.

Text: ¶ 12 Usually a work-related injury is followed by a period of healing and a loss of total or partial wages. An injured worker may be entitled to temporary disability benefits during the healing period, subject to the waiting period. [7] The healing period ends and any temporary disability benefits ceases upon complete recovery or when maximum medical improvement is reached. [8] ¶ 13 From its inception, the purpose of temporary disability compensation has been, and is, to replace wages lost during the healing period. [9] Under our statutory schedule of compensation, an injured worker who has no earning capacity after the injury is entitled to temporary total disability benefits to replace the total loss of wages and an injured worker with some earning capacity after the injury is entitled to temporary partial disability benefits to replace the partial loss of wages, for the time period allowed by the statute. [10] Total absence or partial absence of earning capacity depends on the degree of loss or impairment of physical function as a result of the work-related injury during the healing period.