Several options are available for receiving workers’ compensation payments and people often want to know what to expect.
You can always contact the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) with questions about compensation checks. Following is some general information about receiving payment:
- You can create a BWC account and check online to see if the BWC mailed your check.
- You can sign up for direct deposit.
- When signing up for direct deposit, there is usually a six-day wait between when the BWC processes your authorization and when your bank verifies the account information.
- Except for death benefits, most benefits are available for direct deposit.
- The BWC generally makes payments once every two weeks.
- Check amounts can vary based on the dates physicians enter on the forms they submit.
There are different types of workers’ compensation benefits and each has a different rate. Also keep in mind that compensation amounts may change after the first 12 weeks of reimbursement if the temporary total rate changes at that point. It is often the case that a worker submits a claim and expects payment to arrive but does not realize the claim was denied.
How Long Does it Take For the Compensation to Kick In?
As a general rule, if your claim has been accepted, you can expect a response within two or three weeks from BWC. This response is not your first payment, but merely an acknowledgement that payment will begin. Because these programs are run by each state individually, the length of time for payment depends on the state’s law.
How Often Do Payments Happen?
Payments will happen every other week for as long as you are unable to work.
Can You Find Other Work While Receiving Workers’ Comp Without Losing Your Benefits?
If you say that you are too injured to work, and then you take another job while continuing to receive benefits, you might be accused of fraud. In such cases, you would have to pay a fine, or even be sentenced to time in prison.
By working with a skilled workers’ compensation lawyer from the outset, you improve the likelihood that your claim will move smoothly through the process. Any legal matter that you are not familiar with can be frustrating, especially when you are in pain from injury or limited by a disability. If things go wrong, it is a comfort to know you have a work injury law firm to turn to for guidance. A workers’ comp attorney can help avoid confusion and make the experience easier.