After hurting yourself at work and filing a worker’s compensation claim, you did a lot of thinking. Mainly, you thought about resigning from your current employer, but you do not want to jeopardize your benefits.
Chron explains what happens if injured employees quit their jobs while receiving workers’ comp benefits. Learn how to make a well-informed decision you feel confident about.
Benefit breakdown
After filing a successful workers’ comp claim, you receive three fundamental benefits: medical care treatment, wage replacement and permanent disability compensation. You do not receive wage replacement benefits until your physician puts you on limited or light duty, which qualifies you to receive two-thirds of your weekly wage. After you get back to work, your doctor gives you a permanent partial disability rating for your end payment or benefit.
Protecting your benefits
If you quit your job while receiving benefits, you still qualify for medical benefits as you recover. You no longer receive wage replacement benefits after resigning. Depending on the state, some partially disabled workers’ comp recipients may no longer receive benefits. Permanently disabled employees continue receiving benefits after resigning, or they may choose to receive a lump-sum judgment.
Employer actions
If you quit your job while receiving benefits, your employer could quit paying your benefits. If that happens, you could turn your case over to a legal representative experienced in navigating hearings with Administrative Law judges. During the hearing, the judge hears from both sides of the issue before making a ruling.
A workers’ comp case should not limit your career prospects because you fear losing much-needed financial support. When you know whether you still qualify for benefits after resigning, you understand how to navigate the road ahead.