Washington DC
Workers' Compensation Lawyer

DC workers’ compensation provides several types of benefits designed to help you recover physically and financially.

The most immediate concern is usually Medical Benefits. Workers’ comp should cover all reasonable and necessary medical treatment related to your work injury. This includes:

• Doctor visits (including your choice of treating physician after any initial employer-directed visit)
• Hospital stays and surgeries
• Physical therapy and rehabilitation
• Prescription medications
• Medical equipment (like crutches or braces)
• Travel costs for medical appointments

The key words here are “reasonable and necessary.” Insurers often dispute what falls into that category, which is where many conflicts arise.

Next are Wage Replacement Benefits (also called Indemnity Benefits). If your injury prevents you from working, or limits your earning capacity, you should receive payments to help make up for lost income. These come in several forms:

• Temporary Total Disability (TTD): Paid when your doctor says you cannot work at all while recovering. In DC, this is typically calculated at 66 2/3% (two-thirds) of your Average Weekly Wage (AWW), subject to minimum and maximum limits set annually.
• Temporary Partial Disability (TPD): Paid if you can return to work but only in a limited capacity (like light duty) that pays less than your pre-injury job. This benefit usually covers two-thirds of the difference between your pre-injury AWW and your current earnings.
• Permanent Partial Disability (PPD): Compensation for any permanent functional loss resulting from your injury, even if you can eventually return to work. This could be for loss of use of a body part (a scheduled injury with set values) or for injuries affecting the body as a whole (like a back injury).
• Permanent Total Disability (PTD): Paid if your injury is catastrophic and prevents you from realistically returning to any gainful employment. These benefits potentially last for life and may include cost-of-living adjustments.

Finally, if your injury prevents you from returning to your previous line of work, you may be entitled to Vocational Rehabilitation Services. This includes counseling, job retraining, and placement assistance to help you find suitable alternative employment.