Washington DC Workers’ Compensation
The District of Columbia workers’ comp system is handled by DC government, and specifically, the Department of Employment Services. The office handles approval of settlements, subsequent injuries, uninsured employers, and some vocational rehabilitation monitoring. The office is located on New York Ave, NE.
It is important to note, both DC government and Federal employees have different systems of workers’ compensation than the one presented below. Most workers’ comp lawyers in MD or DC do not handle DC government workers or Federal workers’ comp.
Private sector workers’ comp in DC provides the fairly standard benefits of temporary total disability (TTD), temporary partial disability, permanent partial disability, permanent total disability, and death benefits. Medical benefits are also covered.
For TTD benefits, the injured worker get 2/3 of his or her average weekly salary over the previous 26 weeks before the accident or injury. Just because the employee may not have been with the employer for 6 months prior to the injury does not mean that those weeks equal a zero. See a DC workers’ comp attorney for assistance with this matter.
PPD benefits in DC are for a portion of the difference between what you were earning before the injury and what you are capable of earning after reaching maximum medical improvement.
Permanent total benefits are for situations where no work is possible after an accident or work related injury. Permanent total injuries are not limited to 500 weeks of compensation the way some other injuries are. It is possible to receive compensation for life in a total or serious disability situation.
Estimate Value of Workers’ Comp Claim in DC
An attorney who regularly handles workers’ comp cases in the District of Columbia should be able to estimate the value of a workers’ comp claim in DC with relative ease. Of course, amounts vary depending on the facts, and no two cases are the same, but experience gives the ability to estimate how much. On way to determine whether your comp lawyer is any good is to ask her to estimate how much the workers’ comp claim is worth.
