As far as insurance systems are concerned, workers’ compensation can be comprehensive. If you suffer a work-related injury, your employer’s workers’ compensation policy will provide you with a host of benefits. While workers’ compensation is mostly known for covering a worker’s medical expenses, it can also cover the wages they’ve lost due to a disability.
However, your employer or their insurer won’t immediately pay out your disability benefits. If you’re a worker in Ohio, how long must you wait until you receive the benefits?
The three calendar-day threshold
By Ohio law, an employer can’t pay wage loss claims for disability until after three calendar days from the date of the incident that caused the work-related injury. The law counts consecutive calendar days and not just workdays, so workers concerned that a weekend would mean delayed benefits can rest easy.
Longer disabilities can lead to full benefits
However, if your disability continues for 10 calendar days, your employer must provide wage loss benefits for all the days you’ve spent recovering – including the first three days. The law will also consider the time lost from work to obtain medical treatment as a day of disability.
So, you’ll have to wait a good three days before your employer pays you for your disability. If your disability lasts for more than 10 days, your employer must retroactively pay for the first three days of lost wages.
If your employer delays its payments for benefits past the third calendar day, you may have to confront them about it. A legal professional with experience in workers’ comp claims may be able to guide you on how to request an administrative hearing over your case.
