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(314) 500-HURTWhen you are hurt on the job, collect the workers' compensation benefits you need with guidance from our accomplished workers' compensation attorneys in St. Louis.
Accident: A specific event during a single work shift which includes bodily trauma or strain which causes symptoms of an injury.
Average Weekly Wage (AWW) Rate: This is a key variable in determining temporary and permanent benefits under Missouri’s Worker’s Compensation Act. AWW is calculated by multiplying the employee’s 13 weeks of wages immediately preceding injury, by ⅔. However, the AWW cannot exceed the maximum weekly rates set by law. See Appendix 1.
Injury: Violence to the physical structure of the body which also includes artificial items of the physical body such as dentures, artificial limbs and other prostheses.
Second Injury Fund: This a dedicated fund maintained by the State of Missouri which compensates those employees with a prior disability and who were also later injured at work. This unique fund has special requirements with regard to the prior disability and work-related injury which must be established.
Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI): Medical status of an injured employee, given by a physician or doctor after treating, which indicates that the employee’s injury has stabilized and can no longer reasonably improve with additional medical care, as determined within a reasonable degree of medical certainty.
Permanent Partial Disability (PPD): This is compensation for those employees who received some extent of permanent disability from their work-related injury, but they are still able to continue working with some type of gainful employment.
Permanent Total Disability (PTD): This is compensation for those employees who have received a devastating work-related injury, have achieved maximum medical improvement, and are still unable to continue working successfully with any type of gainful employment.
Temporary Partial Disability (TPD): This is compensation for those employees who are able to work, but who are temporarily unable to work “full duty” and who therefore are ineligible for the level of wage they had received prior to their work place injury. This benefit is ⅔ of the difference between their pre-injury AWW and their post-injury weekly wage rate.
Temporary Total Disability (TTD): This is compensation for those employees who are completely unable to work temporarily but are usually receiving some type of medical treatment to improve their condition.
Third-Party Claims: A claim against a third-party, usually other than the primary employer, whose negligent acts caused or contributed to a work injury.
Hardship Hearings: This is a hearing which is requested by an employee or attorney for the employee when the employer or insurer has refused to pay for medical services or disability which is desperately needed by the employee. An administrative law judge evaluates evidence presented by the parties and then decides whether the employee’s claims are valid.
Final Hearings: This is a hearing which is made before an administrative law judge who issues a final decision with regard to the employee’s award. This is a special type of hearing which is akin to a trial.
Authorized Physician: This is the physician who is assigned by the employer and insurer who treats the employee for their injury. Authorized physicians usually work exclusively with employees who are injured on the job and they are compensated by the insurer. Often these doctors will under-diagnose a serious work-related injury.
Disability Rating (Rating): This is a rating which the injured employee will receive after they have reached maximum medical improvement. This rating is initially received by the authorized physician and remains permanent unless you are reevaluated with an independent medical examination by another physician.
Independent Medical Exam: This is an examination by another doctor who issues a second opinion with regard to your disability rating. This exam is known as being “independent” because the physician will not be associated with or compensated by the worker’s compensation insurance company.
Work Accident: An unexpected traumatic event or unusual strain unidentifiable by time and place of occurrence and producing the objective symptoms of an injury caused by a specific event during a single work shift. R.S.Mo § 287.120.2.
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