After you've been injured, you may have a few questions about your workers' compensation rights. For example, you may want to know if you'll be paid for the time you've had to miss off work or if you can ever return to work following a permanent disability award. Here's a few answers that apply to you if you live in Ohio.
When you miss time off work, you don't automatically qualify to get compensated. In fact, you must miss over seven days of work before you can get compensated for your lost wages. You will be paid for the first seven days you had to miss only after you've missed 14 days.
Once you miss 30 days off work, then you may need a medical exam to show if you are temporarily or totally disabled. Once that is determined, you'll continue to be paid in accordance to Ohio law.
If you decide to go back to work later on after you've been reported as permanently disabled, you're in a tricky situation. Once you have permanent disability payments, you're not technically allowed to return to your job. If you do, you could be breaking the law and be accused of fraud.
However, in some cases you may be able to work a short amount of time each week if it's a different kind of job, so it's important to discuss this with the Bureau of Workers' Compensation to determine what the rules are for your particular situation. Normally, you would continue to stay off work due to the extent of your disability.
Source: BWC, "Compensation- General Compensation Questions," accessed April. 01, 2015