You can apply for another job while on workers’ compensation in North Carolina. However, if you are offered a new job and start working, it may impact your ability to receive certain workers’ compensation benefits such as lost wage compensation.
If you are caught in a dispute about your workers’ compensation application or benefits, a workers’ compensation lawyer may be able to help you.
North Carolina Workers’ Compensation Wage Benefits
Workers’ compensation is meant to cover the medical expenses and a portion of the wages lost by workers injured while performing job-related duties. In North Carolina, the North Carolina Industrial Commission (NCIC) oversees workers’ compensation cases and publishes definitions of workplace injuries and the various benefits injured workers may be entitled to.
You may be entitled to up to two-thirds of your average weekly wages in workers’ compensation benefits in North Carolina. The NCIC’s maximum weekly compensation rate is $1,066. These benefits are for workers injured on the job who have physical disabilities that prevent them from working.
Disabilities can be further divided into the following categories:
- Temporary Total Disability (TTD): this is the time during which the injury victim is unable to work at all.
- Temporary Partial Disability (TPD): this is the time during which the injured worker has recovered and improved enough to begin certain types of gainful employment but cannot work or earn as much as they did before being injured.
- Permanent Disability: this involves permanent damage or the permanent loss of use of part of the body.
Depending on the rating that your injury or disability is assigned, you may be entitled to benefits of varying amounts for varying amounts of time. For example, certain leg and hand injuries can entitle you to compensation for up to 200 weeks, whereas injuries to the fingers or toes may only entitle you to benefits for between 10 and 45 weeks, depending on which fingers or toes you lose or injure in a work-related accident.
For a legal consultation, call 828.286.3866
Applying for Another Job While on Workers’ Compensation
Your workers’ compensation benefits may be an important source of income while you are unable to work. They may also cover your medical bills and related treatment expenses. It is understandable that you may wonder what could happen to your benefits if you apply for another job.
In general, you are permitted to apply to another job while on workers’ compensation. However, getting hired and starting another job may impact your benefits.
According to the NCIC, workers are able to collect their lost wage weekly benefits until they are “able to return to work.” By starting another job, the North Carolina Industrial Commission may determine that your condition no longer prevents you from working, and your lost wage benefits may be revoked. Other benefits, such as your medical treatment coverage, may continue as long as you are still recovering from your original injury.
A workers’ compensation lawyer may be able to help you interpret the details of your policy and fight back if your benefits were terminated unfairly.
Farmer & Morris Law, PLLC May Be Able to Help You
If you want to apply for another job while on workers’ compensation and are concerned about the consequences, Farmer & Morris Law, PLLC can help. Our team may be able to help you understand your options by examining the details of your case.
If you believe that your workers’ compensation benefits were unfairly terminated because you were looking for another job or received income, our lawyers may be able to help you fight for further benefits. Farmer & Morris Law, PLLC also helps injured workers with their initial workers’ compensation applications or in appealing denied applications.
When you partner with Farmer & Morris Law, PLLC on your workers’ compensation case, our firm can:
- Provide you with legal advice
- Manage all deadlines, communications, and paperwork on your behalf
- Defend your rights at every stage of the process
To learn more about our services and your legal options in a free, no-obligation case review with a member of our team, call Farmer & Morris Law, PLLC today at (828) 286-3866. We may be able to offer you representation on a contingency-fee-basis with no up-front payments required.
Call or text 828.286.3866 or complete a Case Evaluation form
