Injuries on the job cause enormous problems for hundreds of workers. These situations can cause financial burdens for years. On-the-job injuries include those occurring during the normal course of employment, as well as, diseases and conditions (i.e., heart conditions, cancer and lung disease) which can be attributed to your job. If you have a pre-existing injury or disease when hired, and it is made worse by a work-related accident or incident, you may also be entitled to Worker's Compensation benefits.
Your base benefits include:
Total Disability Benefits are paid when you are unable to perform any work. The payment you receive is 75% of your spendable base wage, up to a maximum of $474.00 (currently) per week. (This maximum benefit allowance increases on September 1 of each year.) The "spendable base wage" approximates your take home pay.
Partial Disability Benefits are paid when injury or sickness prevents you from performing your regular duties but allows you to work either part or full-time at a less demanding job. Benefits equal 75% of the difference between your spendable base wage before your injury and your spendable base wage after you return to light work, not to exceed the maximum allowed by law.
Dependency Benefits are paid while you are totally disabled. That payment is $15.00 per week for each child under eighteen, for your non-working spouse, and for any child between 18 and 23 who is attending school or college.
Medical Payments are made by your employer or its insurance company for your physician and hospital bills, and all other medical costs incurred during your recovery.
Death Benefits are paid should you die as a result of your injury. Payments will be received by your spouse, as long as he/she remains unmarried. After re-marriage, the children would receive benefits until they become eighteen years of age.
Loss of Function and Disfigurement Payments are made for the permanent loss of use or bodily function of any part of your body. For example, the total or partial amputation of your hands, arms, legs or feet, or the loss of sight or hearing. The amount of payment varies with the degree and nature of your injury. In addition, Rhode Island law provides for employees to be compensated for permanent disfigurement for scarring or disfiguring amputation. Depending on the severity of the case, payments may reach as much as $50,000.
Social Security Disability Benefits can be received when injury or illness totally prevents you from performing any work for a period of at least twelve consecutive months. Social Security guidelines and law determine your eligibility for these benefits.
Accidental Disability Retirement Benefits may be received when you are employed by a town or city in the State of Rhode Island not covered by the Workers' Compensation law, and your injury permanently prevents you from engaging in the work you were performing at the time of injury. Similarly, private employers may have a long-term supplemental disability plan which will pay you while you are unable to work for any reason.