What are my rights for workers compensation?

In Texas, you have the right two types of benefits: medical care and income benefits. You have the right to medical care for life for your injury. The law provides that this "includes all reasonable and necessary medical aid, medical examinations, medical treatments, medical diagnoses, medical evaluations, and medical services."

You also have the right to income benefits. These are 70% of your lost pay. Temporary income benefits are payable for lost wages for up to a total of 105 weeks maximum following the injury. They accrue on the 8th day of disability, full or partial, and are payable for 104 weeks from that point forward, or until you reach maximum medical improvement, whichever comes first. When you reach maximum medical improvement, you are assigned an impairment rating by a doctor. You get 3 weeks of income benefits for every percentage assigned. These benefits are payable regardless of whether or not you are working. Supplemental income benefits are 64% of lost wages and are payable if you have at least a 15% rating and you still cannot get a job paying equal to your pre-injury wages due to the injury. Lifetime income benefits are available for certain severe injuries such as paralysis, amputations, legal blindness, severe burns over a large portion of the body, and disabling traumatic brain injuries.