Temporary Partial Disability (TPD) benefits are NOT automatic!

Temporary Partial Disability benefits, or TPD, are wages paid to an injured worker when they are working under light duty restrictions from their doctor and earning less than their pre-injury average weekly wage.  However, these benefits are not automatic (unless there is an award order).  The injured worker has to send their check stubs in to the insurance adjuster or their attorney (depending on their situation) and the insurance company will then be able to calculate the difference in wages owed (based on gross earnings) and the average weekly wage 52 weeks prior to the work accident.

Then, the adjuster will cut a check to the injured worker for 2/3rds  of the difference between the current gross weekly wage and the pre-injury gross average weekly wage.  The trick here is for the injured worker to know that they have to send in their pay stubs to prove that they are earning less than the pre-injury gross average weekly wage.  I have had a lot of people ask me when they are going to be compensated for the difference in pay but they have not submitted their pay stubs because they did not realize that they were required to do so.

So, unless the insurance carrier receive your pay stubs, you won’t get paid temporary partial disability benefits.  Like everything else, the insurance company is not going to take your word that you are making less – you must prove it by providing your pay stub.

If you have questions about how lost wages are paid, or if you would like more information on the Virginia workers compensation system, order my book, “The Ultimate Guide to Workers Compensation in Virginia” by clicking this link, or call our office today (804) 755-7755.