Partial Disability Benefits for Injured FedEx Drivers

Chicago Lawyers for Partial Disability Benefits

Some chronic and acute injuries suffered by FedEx drivers are partially but not fully disabling. If you were injured on the job as a FedEx driver but still retain some function, you may be able to recover partial disability benefits. Call the seasoned Chicago workers’ compensation lawyers of Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca to determine whether you have a viable claim. We have 60 years of experience securing benefits for injured truck drivers.

Partial Disability Benefits for Injured FedEx Drivers

FedEx drivers may be able to obtain benefits if they are injured on the job in or around Chicago. However, it can be difficult to navigate the workers’ compensation system, particularly with regard to disability benefits. These benefits are calculated, ordinarily, according to a driver’s average weekly wage. Sometimes, however, an employer or insurer miscalculates what the average weekly wage is. Our lawyers can keep watch over your case to make sure you obtain the benefits you need.

You may be eligible for partial disability benefits, whether you are permanently or temporarily partially disabled. Generally, your treating physician will ask you to work only under certain restrictions, such as lifting only to a certain maximum weight, such as five pounds, or avoiding tasks like twisting. There are situations in which FedEx won’t be able to accommodate your doctor’s restrictions. You could be placed into a job that pays less.

When you are paid less, you may be able to obtain temporary partial disability benefits, which are intended to compensate for some income loss. You may be awarded temporary partial disability benefits. The legislature intended temporary partial disability benefits to partially make up for part of the income loss. They are no-fault benefits that you could get if you’re still going through medical care but haven’t gotten to maximum medical improvement. Temporary partial disability benefits are ⅔ of the difference between what you got before you were injured and what you currently make.

What if you’re permanently unable to work as a result of your job injuries? Once you get to maximum medical improvement, the stage at which you will neither worsen nor improve with further medical treatment, you can obtain permanent partial disability benefits through the workers’ compensation system. If, for example, you are left unable to drive because your arm was amputated in a FedEx accident, and you are placed in a position with less compensation that keeps you at a desk instead, you may be eligible for partial disability benefits to make up for the loss.

Recovering Disability Benefits According to Schedule and Non-Schedule Injuries

Our attorneys may be able to recover benefits for you based on a schedule that specifies how many weeks of benefits you can receive based on your lost body part. This means you’d receive benefits at a value set forth in a schedule of different kinds of injuries multiplied by 60% of your average weekly wage. If you suffer a complete loss, you’ll be awarded the whole benefit; a partial loss only entitles you to a percentage of loss of the body part. Some injuries are not specified on the schedule (“non-schedule injuries”) and are still life-changing, and for these you can obtain benefits calculated at a rate of multiplying the permanent partial disability rate by the number of weeks that represent the proportion to which you are partially rather than fully disabled..

In some cases, it is appropriate for the insurer to provide wage differential benefits. This would be the proper benefit if, for example, you needed to go to a different job altogether because FedEx couldn’t find work that would accommodate your partial disability.

Consult a Seasoned FedEx Claims Lawyer

We represent FedEx workers in connection with partial disability benefits claims in Aurora, Champaign, Rockford, Quincy, as well as Sangamon, Winnebago, Kane, Cook, and Adams Counties. Our Chicago attorneys also handle third party lawsuits and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) claims. Call us at 312-724-5846 or complete our online form.