When Illinois workers become injured on the job, they may have to seek workers’ compensation benefits. Workers’ compensation insurance helps injured employees continue to get paid even when they’ve been hurt due to a workplace-related injury or illness. Permanent partial disability is a classification used to describe a certain type of workers’ comp.
What is Permanent Partial Disability?
Permanent partial disability, or PPD, is a term used to describe a type of workers’ comp category. With PPD, the injured person may have recovered from the initial injury, but there is still some impairment leftover that limits the amount of work they are able to do. Any impairment is expected to be permanent.
An example of this would be when someone working at a major factory breaks their arm. The arm may have been broken so badly that it never returns to a fully normal state even if the injured person can technically still use it. Although they can return to work, they may no longer be able to lift heavy items. That person is considered to have a permanent partial disability. The amount of disability benefits they receive will depend on the severity of the injury.
People with injuries that are relatively minor but permanent may qualify for small PPD benefits. A large PPD payment would most likely be paid out for a very serious injury that prevents someone from working at all. An example of this would be someone who is paralyzed due to a fall at work and is now confined to a wheelchair. In these types of cases, it’s not unusual for the victim to get a large lump-sum PPD payment.
How Can Someone Go About Getting Help With Permanent Partial Disability?
People looking for information about the workers’ comp that they might receive after an injury may benefit by consulting legal professionals. Attorneys who have experience in workers’ comp law may explain the rights of injured employees and guide them through the application process.
Don't hesitate to reach out to Shay + Associates Law Firm if you require the expertise of a skilled personal injury lawyer in Springfield or Decatur, Illinois.