The Idaho Industrial Commission is the agency responsible for processing all reports of workers who have suffered job-related injury or illness. In the state of Idaho, employers are responsible for reporting such events either in writing or through the Commission’s website. If, for some reason, the employer fails to report the incident, the injured worker may do so.
Compensation for lost wages in the state of Idaho is sixty-seven percent of the worker’s average weekly wages for the first year. No compensation is made for the first five days. The only exceptions to this are if the employee is in the hospital or if the physician determines the worker will not be able to return to work for a period of two weeks or more. Normally, payment is made to the worker within three weeks. Should the physician determine the worker is impaired, he submits an impairment rating to the state and the employee is paid an amount equal to the rating times fifty-five percent.
In addition to all Medical costs, the Idaho Workers’ Compensation Law pays some of the additional expenses commonly accrued by injured workers. In many cases, workers are required to travel away from their residence for specific treatment or therapy. The state will compensate the worker for expenses such as travel and housing. In addition, should the employee require assistance in the form of a companion the state will compensate the companion for any travel expenses involved.
As with other states, Idaho includes compensation for impairment as a benefit in their Workers’ Compensation Law. This benefit is paid should permanent impairment of a limb or body part occur due to the accident. The amount of the benefit will depend on the part of the body which is impaired and the degree of impairment determined by the treating physician. How does the doctor arrive at this information? The physician carefully considers the employee’s activities and responsibilities at the workplace. He compares the injured worker’s mobility before the accident to what they will be in the future. He then assigns a value to any loss of function. This is used to assign a dollar value to the employee’s impairment.
Idaho Workers’ Comp. permits injured workers who are collecting permanent disability benefits to receive additional benefits through Social Security Disability. Depending upon the individual case, there may be adjustments made to the amount of benefits paid by either or both. When calculating the amount of benefits to be paid to the worker through Social Security, the number of quarters the employee has worked prior to the date of the accident is used. Because approval for these benefits can take time, Social Security will sometimes pay benefits effective up to twelve months prior to final approval. Workmans Comp. calculate their benefits for disability payment based on a percentage of the worker’s average weekly earnings. Although a disabled worker can receive both types of benefits, adjustments will be made to arrive at the total monthly dollar amount.