Maybe you’ve never heard of PPD payments before. If so, you should learn about them. PPD payments can help if you hurt yourself or get sick and can’t work at your old job anymore.
We’ll talk all about PPD payments in this article. When you finish reading it, you should understand how this program works and also about its potential limitations.
What is the PPD Program?
PPD stands for permanent partial disability. You can apply for this program if you find out you have lost some of your permanent wage-earning capabilities.
In other words, if you injure yourself on the job or get sick, and a doctor determines that you’re not going to recover or you’re only going to recover to some extent, you can apply to this program. By proving your claim, you can start collecting money that can help you and your family pay for your medical bills, rent, mortgage, utility bills, and so forth.
How Long Can You Expect PPD Payments to Last?
Compensation duration for partial disability can last up to ten years in some instances. That’s 500 weeks if you’d prefer to think about it that way.
That sounds like a long time, but if that period runs out, and you’re not able to return to work at the job or in the profession you previously had, you should get ready for the time your payments will conclude. At that point, you’ll need to figure out some other way to make money if you’ve completely exhausted your possible benefits through the program.
You might try to get into another profession if you can’t continue in the one you previously had. Perhaps you can find a way to work from home if you have a disability that won’t let you leave the house and drive to a job or take public transportation.
What Kinds of Injuries Qualify You for This Program?
If you hurt yourself and want to look into the PPD program, you should know about the more common disability types that can qualify you. Losing a limb might qualify you. You can also look into the program if you did something to yourself that caused you to lose most or all of your fine motor skills.
If you hurt your back badly, that may qualify you. If you sustained a TBI, or a traumatic brain injury, that might also allow you to collect money through the PPD program. Loss of hearing or vision may do it, or you might get cash through the program if a doctor diagnoses you with PTSD.
Some people associate PTSD with soldiers, but others can get it too. If you’re in a violent collision while operating a vehicle in a professional capacity, that might give you PTSD. You will have to make sure a competent medical doctor agrees with that assessment, though.
How Does the Program Determine How Much Money You Get?
You might also wonder how the program determines how much money it should reward you, assuming you qualify. The admins use a mathematical formula that’s not exactly flawless, but that’s the way the current system works.
A doctor will try to work with you till you reach MMI, or maximum medical improvement. At that point, the doctor will see how close you are to your former capabilities.
If you’re still not well enough to return to work, the doctor and the program admins will assign you a permanent impairment rating. That rating determines how much money you should receive through the program.
The worse your injury or condition, the more money you can expect. If you can barely move, for instance, you can expect far more cash than if you’re still partially mobile.
What if You Disagree with the Program’s Assessment?
The way the MMI program determines how much cash you should get isn’t perfect. It’s a somewhat subjective system, which is why some people feel they’re not receiving enough money based on their condition after an injury or illness diagnosis.
There’s a bit of positive news, though. You can hire a lawyer who can help you argue that you deserve more money if you feel you’ve received an incorrect diagnosis, and the money the program gives you reflects that.
The right law firm can get you more money through this program, and it can sometimes get you cash for an extended period. If you feel you’re not getting the full benefits this program owes you, you don’t have to give up.