Can Permanent Disability be Paid for by Workers’ Compensation?

You may be unable to return to your job or continue working at your usual pace if you sustained a long-term or permanent injury in Arizona while on the job. If this happens to you, you may be eligible to file a claim for workers’ compensation disability payments. 

Worker’s compensation claims in Arizona can be difficult to navigate. It is especially for workers compensation benefits for workplace violence in Arizona.  

Do Long-Term Injuries Qualify for Workers’ Compensation?

Injured workers in Arizona have recourse to the state’s workers’ compensation system in the event of a permanent or lifelong disability. You may be eligible for temporary complete, temporary partial, permanent total, or permanent partial disability payments, depending on the severity and length of your injuries. To have a permanent disability indicates that the injuries will continue to limit your ability to function, even after receiving therapy. 

Claiming benefits from the Arizona Industrial Commission (ICA) for a work-related injury must be done within a year of the date of the injury.  

Arizona Accidents That Cause Permanent Injuries

Examples of common, long-term injuries sustained on the job include:

  • Amputation 
  • blindness in one or both eyes
  • impaired or total hearing loss
  • Extraction of wisdom teeth
  • Disfigurement, scarring, or severe burns
  • Damage to the nerves causes chronic pain.
  • Injury to the spinal cord causes paralysis.
  • Serious concussions or other brain injuries
  • Injury to internal organs

Permanent Disability Benefits

The amount of money you can receive due to a lifelong impairment is condition-specific. Permanent injuries might be either prearranged or unplanned in an Arizona workers’ compensation lawsuit.

A scheduled injury is a catastrophic wound to a predetermined bodily part. Under Arizona law, compensation for some types of injuries is capped at predetermined levels. There is a limit on the number of months you can receive scheduled disability benefits. Half of your regular monthly income will be replaced if you suffer a partial amputation or functional loss of one of these bodily parts. 

If you lose the use of an arm or leg entirely due to an injury, you may be eligible for compensation of up to 55% of your pre-injury monthly income. If your condition is serious enough to keep you from working, you may be eligible to receive up to 75% of your pre-injury monthly salary.

Visible facial scarring or the loss of permanent teeth can result in a payout of 55% of your typical monthly salary for up to 18 months in the event of a permanent injury.  

In Arizona, an unscheduled injury is defined as any injury that is not included in the list of scheduled injuries.