Workers’ compensation comes in many different forms in Minnesota, but one of the more serious forms is called permanent total disability benefits. As the name suggests, this is compensation provided to an employee who has suffered permanent and total disability due to an accident or injury on the job.
Outside of a fatal workplace accident, PTD injuries typically take a severe toll on both the worker and the family, but that’s why Minnesota tries to provide strong benefits. We’ve helped numerous clients maximize their permanent total disability benefits, and we can do the same for your family should you ever need our assistance. Here’s a little more information about PTD benefits in Minnesota.
PTD Benefits in Minnesota
As the name implies, permanent injuries mean that the worker will still remain disabled even after they’ve undergone a full course of medical treatment. For example, if a worker becomes disabled after a fall or suffers a significant head injury, they may be able to collect permanent total disability benefits.
With temporary total disability benefits, the worker suffers injuries that will last forever, but they can still return to gainful employment after receiving medical treatment. If you lose a finger or suffer hearing loss at work, you may be affected by these deficiencies for the rest of their life, but odds are you can still find work. With permanent total disability, the injuries are so severe that the employee cannot return to gainful employment.
PTD Eligibility and Payments
Under Minnesota law, PTD benefits are paid to employees who suffer life-altering injuries, like blindness, loss of limbs, complete or permanent paralysis or permanent loss of their mental capabilities. Aside from these severe injuries, other types of injuries can also make you eligible for PTD benefits. Those injuries include:
- Having a permanent partial disability (PPD) rating of at least 17 percent for their whole body.
- Having a PPD rating of at least 15 percent of the whole body and being at least 50 years old at the time of the injury.
- Having a PPD rating of at least 13 percent of the whole body, and being at least 55 years old and have not completed the 12th grade or obtained a GED certificate.
The PTD rate in Minnesota is calculated as two-thirds of an employee’s gross weekly wage at the time of the injury. Additionally, if an employee was a part-time worker at the time of the injury, the compensation is based on a normal work week for that occupation. It’s also worth noting that once the insurer has paid $25,000 in PTD benefits to the employee, the weekly workers’ compensation benefits can be reduced by the amount of disability benefits being paid in Social Security Disability Insurance benefits.
Hopefully you’ll never need to file for PTD benefits, but it’s nice to know that you have an ally if you ever have to file for compensation. For more information about PTD benefits or any type of compensation claim in Minnesota, reach out to the experienced team at Hey Workers today.
