"Workers' compensation law recognizes three types of disability - temporary total, permanent partial and permanent total - and establishes disability income benefit payments for each type."
Temporary Total Disability
"Temporary total disability (TTD) benefits are paid to the employee who is recovering from an injury or disease and is unable to return to work. Once the disabled worker has been unable to work for more than seven (7) days, he/she is entitled to TTD benefits for each day thereafter."
"If the disability exceeds two (2) weeks of lost time from work, the employee is then entitled to payment of benefits for the first seven (7) days."
"Kentucky law makes no allowance for temporary partial disability benefits (payment to an injured worker who returns to work but is earning less than their pre-injury weekly wage)."
"Usually, in cases of severe injury, TTD benefits are voluntarily paid by the insurance company of the injured worker's employer. Payment of TTD benefits ends when the employee recovers sufficiently to be able to return to work or when a physician reports that an employee has reached maximum medical improvement. It may be restarted if the employee finds, upon returning to work, that he/she is unable yet to do the work, or must stop work for surgery or other medical treatment."
Permanent Partial Disability Benefits
"Permanent partial disability benefits ( PPD) are payable when 'an employee...has a permanent disability rating but retains the ability to work'. The term permanent refers to a physical disability expected to last into the future. Use of the word 'permanent' does not describe the period of payment; payment for partial disability is limited, usually to 425 weeks."
"Expressed as a percentage, a permanent disability impairment rating means the percentage of whole body functional impairment caused by the injury or occupational disease. This is determined by the treating physician using the most recent edition of the American Medical Association's Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment as the basis. The law establishes use of this book as the means by which disability ratings are given under workers' compensation."
Permanent Total Disability Benefits
"Permanent total disability benefits ( PTD) are payable when 'an employee...has a complete and permanent inability to perform any type of work as a result of an injury.'"
"Permanent total disability benefits are paid when the worker is so severely injured that he/she cannot obtain and maintain a job. These benefits are not awarded until after the worker has reached maximum medical improvement. This means the physical condition of the employee has stabilized and no significant improvement is expected in the future."
"Also, according to workers' compensation law, total disability shall be presumed to exist for an injury that results in:
- total and permanent loss of sight in both eyes,
- loss of both feet at or above the ankle,
- loss of both hands at or above the wrist,
- loss of one foot at or above the ankle and loss of one hand at or above the wrist
- permanent and complete paralysis of both arms, both legs, or one arm and one leg,
- incurable insanity or imbecility, or
- total loss of hearing."
"The maximum allowable weekly benefit was $509.03 for injuries occurring in 2000 and $530.07 for injuries occurring in 2001. For the year 2002, the state's average weekly wage is $550.66. For injuries occurring in 2003 the maximum weekly payment is $571.42. For 2004 it is $588.43 and 2005 it is $607.23."
From "Guidebook to Workers' Compensation"
