Accidents on the job can happen to anyone. Even the most careful workers. When they do, the cost of medical treatment and time away from work can quickly become overwhelming. Thankfully, Florida’s Workers’ Compensation program provides essential financial support to employees dealing with work-related injuries.

One of the most common questions that arises during this time is: “How long can I stay on workers’ compensation benefits?” The answer depends on a few key factors, including the severity of your injury, the type of benefits you're receiving, and how long you're medically unable to return to work.

In this post, we’ll break down how workers' comp works in Florida and what you can expect when it comes to the duration of your benefits.

Types of Workers' Compensation Benefits in Florida

Florida’s workers’ compensation system provides different types of benefits based on your injury and recovery timeline. These include:

• Temporary Total Disability (TTD)
• Temporary Partial Disability (TPD)
• Impairment Income Benefits (IIB)
• Permanent Total Disability (PTD)

Each has different rules on how long you can receive them.

1. Temporary Total Disability (TTD)

If your doctor says you can’t work at all while you recover, you may be eligible for TTD benefits.

• Duration: You can receive TTD for up to 104 weeks (2 years).
• Amount: Typically 66 2/3% of your average weekly wage, not to exceed Florida’s maximum compensation rate.

2. Temporary Partial Disability (TPD)

If you can return to work but only in a limited capacity or for fewer hours, TPD may apply.

• Duration: TPD benefits are also up to 104 weeks.
• Amount: Varies depending on whether you return to light duty employment after the accident and your weekly earnings for the light job.

3. Impairment Income Benefits (IIB)

Once your doctor determines you've reached Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI), meaning your medical condition isn’t expected to improve significantly, you may receive IIBs if you have a permanent impairment.

Here’s how it works:

• You are entitled to two weeks of PI benefits for every impairment percentage point from 1% up to and including 10%.
• You are entitled to three weeks of PI benefits for every impairment percentage point from 11% up to and including 15%.
• You are entitled to four weeks of PI benefits for every impairment percentage point from 16% up to and including 20%.
• You are entitled to six weeks of PI benefits for every impairment percentage point from 21% and higher.

For example, say your physician assigns you an impairment rating of 11%. You are entitled to two weeks of PI benefits for every percentage point from 1-10% and three weeks of benefits for every percentage point from 11-15%. This means you are entitled to 20 weeks for the first 10% and 3 weeks for the additional 1%, so you will receive 23 weeks of PI benefits.

4. Permanent Total Disability (PTD)

If your injuries are so severe that you can never return to any kind of work, you may qualify for PTD.

• Duration: You may receive PTD benefits until age 75, or for life if you don’t qualify for Social Security.

How Can a Workers’ Compensation Attorney Help You?

The workers’ comp system can get complicated quickly. If you’re dealing with serious injuries, the last thing you want to do is spend all your time speaking with insurance adjusters, completing paperwork, gathering evidence to support your claim, and worrying about how you will pay your medical bills and other costs of daily living while you’re out of work.

A workers’ comp lawyer can help you. For example, we can:

Ensure the Indemnity Benefits are paid timely and at the Correct Weekly Rate

Calculating how much compensation you deserve for lost wages can be very complex, depending on what disability category your injuries fall into and your level of impairment. Juan Lucas Alvarez, P.A., can handle all the math for you and ensure you receive the maximum amount of benefits you deserve.

Let Workers’ Compensation, Juan Lucas Alvarez, Help You Today

Juan Lucas Alvarez has over 28 years representing clients in workers compensation claims. If you want to know how long you can be on workers’ compensation in Florida and ensure you receive appropriate benefits, he can help. We work on a contingency-fee basis, so you will only pay us if we secure benefits for you.

Please contact us today for a free consultation.