A workers’ compensation award does not provide you with full pay while you are off work due to an injury. You only qualify for a portion of your average pay. This might be problematic if your personal finances rest on receiving your full salary. You may wonder if you can qualify for a cost of living raise or some other increase to help you make ends meet. There is one option for increasing benefits, but most people who collect workers’ compensation today are not eligible for it.
Supplemental benefits, according to the State of New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, are available to help with cost of living increases but only to a limited pool of workers. This allowance may be for you if you have been receiving workers’ compensation for an extended time.
Qualifying
As with other types of workers’ compensation benefits, you must meet certain qualifications to get the supplemental payment increase. The main requirement is that your incident occurred prior to January 1, 1980. To qualify for the payment, you must also have a total and permanent disability caused by an on-the-job incident.
Some dependents receiving benefits for a worker who died due to an injury prior to January 1, 1980, may also qualify for this allowance. However, you must show that the trauma led to the death if it happened after the deadline date. Of course, you also must meet other general requirements for receiving regular workers’ compensation.
Benefits
The benefits you may receive are an increase in what you normally get under this program. The amount you will get depends on the maximum rate of compensation at the time of your injury in comparison to the current maximum weekly rate. Do note that if you get Social Security payments for some injuries, it will reduce the amount of supplemental benefits you can receive.