You may be lying awake after a workplace injury, counting how many more paychecks you can expect while you recover. New Jersey does not set one time limit for workers’ compensation. How long your benefits last depends on the type of benefit you receive and how your injury affects your ability to work.
Temporary disability benefits last while you cannot work
Temporary disability benefits replace part of your pay while you recover. They equal 70% of your weekly wages, within minimum and maximum amounts that the state sets. New Jersey law states these payments continue until you return to work, reach maximum medical improvement (MMI), or exhaust the statutory limit of 400 weeks, whichever comes first.
Permanent partial benefits depend on your disability rating
Some injuries leave a lasting limitation even though you can still work. In that case, you may receive permanent partial benefits. For injuries that affect the whole body, such as back, neck or internal injuries, your disability rating is a percentage of total disability, and your benefits last for that share of up to 600 weeks.
A 10% rating, for example, equals 60 weeks. For injuries to a specific body part, such as an arm, leg, hand or foot, benefits follow a separate schedule for that body part instead of the 600-week base. In both cases, a higher rating means a longer benefit period.
Total disability benefits run for 450 weeks at first
If your injury keeps you from working at all, you may qualify for permanent total disability benefits.
These also pay 70% of your weekly wages and last for 450 weeks. After that period, payments may continue if you completed any rehabilitation that was ordered and can prove that your disability still makes it impossible to earn wages equal to what you earned before the injury. The 450 weeks are therefore a starting point for these benefits, not always the end.
Medical treatment follows its own timeline
Medical care for a work injury is separate from your wage benefits, so your treatment needs may continue after those payments stop. How long you need care depends on your injury and the care authorized by your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance carrier or ordered by a workers’ compensation judge.
Knowing which limit applies helps you plan ahead
Each benefit has its own end point, and when that point arrives can shape your treatment decisions, your return to work and your household budget. Understanding which limits apply to you may help you prepare before a payment stops. A New Jersey workers’ compensation attorney may help you see where you stand and what to expect next