Oklahoma City – How Long Does It Take To Get Temporary Disability?

If you have a disabling medical condition that prevents you from working and earning a living, you may be eligible for disability benefits through the Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income programs administered by the Social Security Administration. However, the disability must have lasted or be expected to last for at least 12 months or result in death to qualify for SSI or SSDI.

When you have a short-term or temporary disability in Oklahoma City that does not meet the 12-month duration requirement for Social Security disability, your options for benefits are limited. Unlike some states that pay temporary disability benefits or require employers to offer them to their workers, the opportunity to get temporary disability in Oklahoma City is limited, so this article will look at other ways to get temporary disability benefits.

What Is A Temporary Disability?

Most definitions classify a physical or mental health condition that prevents you from working for more than a year as a long-term disability, which conforms to the disability definition used by the Social Security Administration. If the injury or illness prevents you from working for less than one year, it is considered as being short-term or temporary. 

Temporary Disability Benefits Through For Work-Related Injuries

If you cannot work because of an illness or injury that is work-related in Oklahoma City, you may be eligible for temporary disability through workers’ compensation. There are two forms of temporary disability in Oklahoma: Temporary total disability and temporary partial disability. You may receive benefits for both types of temporary disability that are meant to replace the lost wages from being out of work.

Temporary total disability benefits are 70% of an injured worker’s average weekly pay up to 70% of the average weekly wage throughout the state. Temporary total disability benefits are payable for up to 104 weeks, but it is only for eight weeks for soft-tissue injuries unless the worker requires surgery. The need for surgery increases benefits for soft-tissue injuries for another 16 weeks after the initial eight weeks.

Temporary total disability means that you cannot do any type of work, but temporary partial disability means that you have the capacity to do other types of work at your place of employment. The benefits would compensate you for the difference between the type wages you earned at your normal job and the wages you receive while on limited duty.

A claim for benefits starts when an injured person files a claim form. How long does it take to get temporary disability depends on the ability of the compensation commission to obtain the medical records and other information it needs to make a decision.

Short-Term Disability Insurance

Temporary disability for work-related injuries and illnesses is extremely limited. For example, it would not provide benefits for an injury occurring in your employer’s parking lot when you trip and fall while walking into work in the morning after parking your car.

Some employers offer a short-term disability plan as one of your employment benefits although Oklahoma law does not require them to offer it. Short-term disability plans typically offer 26 weeks of benefits equal to a percentage of your weekly wages. Some plans have a monthly benefit cap that limits how much employees may receive.

Social Security Disability Benefits

Although the limited availability of temporary disability benefits in Oklahoma City can be frustrating, you should speak with a temporary disability advocate at London Disability. You may have a medical condition that meets the definition for disability used by the Social Security Administration to evaluate claims.

According to the SSA definition, you must have a medically determinable physical or mental impairment that prevents you from doing any substantial gainful activity. The impairment or combination of impairments must last or be expected to last for at least 12 months, or it must be expected to result in death.

Substantial gainful activity is determined by the amount of your monthly earnings, which in 2023 cannot exceed $2,460 when the disability is statutory blindness. If you have another form of medical condition, the monthly earnings limit is $1,470. Even if you meet the income limits, you also must be unable to do any type of work you did in the past as well as any other type of substantial gainful work that may be available.

Speak To A Disability Advocate

A disability that you may think is only temporary may meet the eligibility standards for benefits through the Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income programs. The only way to know for certain is by speaking to one of the experienced temporary disability advocates at London Disability who can evaluate your claim and the options that may be available to you through state-sponsored programs or through the Social Security Administration. Contact us today for a free consultation.