How Long Do Workers’ Comp Benefits Last in New York?

It depends on the benefit

Medical benefits for a work injury can continue as long as the treatment is needed and related to the injury, potentially for a long time. Cash wage-replacement benefits are different and depend on your disability.

So the real question is usually about the wage benefits, and those turn on how disabled you are and under what classification.

Scheduled vs. continuing

Some permanent injuries to specific body parts are compensated under a schedule that pays a set number of weeks – a defined, finite award. Other classifications, such as ongoing partial or total disability, can pay benefits while the disability continues, subject to the rules and caps that apply.

Temporary benefits, paid while you recover, last until you return to work or your condition stabilizes.

The short version

Expect medical coverage to track your need for care, and wage benefits to track your disability and its classification. Because the categories drive the duration, the specifics of your classification matter.

For an estimate tied to your own classification and body part, the Board’s decisions in your case and a licensed attorney are the reliable sources.

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