TTD-Temporary Total Disability
Video Transcript:
Cindy: What is temporary total disability? That’s what we’ll be discussing on this episode of Main Street Law. I’m Cindy Speaker and my guest is South Carolina personal injury attorney, George Sink of George Sink Injury Lawyers. George, I appreciate you being with us today.
George: Well, thank you very much, Cindy. It’s a pleasure to be here.
Cindy: Well, I’m going to have you explain something to us today, what is temporary total disability? What does it apply to and what is it relevant to?
George: It’s the pay you get when you’ve been accidentally injured on the job and you’re out of work for a certain period of time. That’s the state statute that provides for injured people in South Carolina.
Cindy: And how do you determine how much income you will receive when you qualify for this?
George: Well, it’s based on what you earn and I guess that makes a lot of sense. If you earn—I’m making this up, a hundred dollars a week at your regular job, you’re entitled to two-thirds of that as your TTD or the temporary total disability rate. However, if you are working at night because you’re only making a hundred a week at the subway and in the national guard for example, all of that counts, so you have to put it together divided by two-thirds and that would be your TTD rate, temporary total disability rate. That’s what you get when you’re out.
Cindy: Now, when would someone start receiving that? How long do they have to wait?
George: It’s a little tricky in South Carolina. First week, you don’t get anything, but if you’re out eight days, you get paid for the first day. Nine days, second day, ten days, third day—so when you get to—if you’re out fourteen days, you’re entitled to the first two weeks and paid thereafter for the time the doctor says that you’re out.
Cindy: And when does it stop?
George: It stops when the doctor said you’re ready to go back and often times, it’s good to try going back to see what you can and can’t do for a bunch of reasons, but mostly to tell your doctor what you can and can’t do and to feel confident that you can and can’t do it and you can get the kind of care that you deserve while you are being taken care of.
Cindy: Now, there’s also something called TPD, temporary partial disability.
George: That’s what happens when you go back and you try it and they say, well George, you really can’t lift boxes in the warehouse anymore, but we’ll put you on the phone, why don’t you just get the phone calls as they come in, but we only pay you eight dollars an hour for the phones and we paid twenty dollars when you lifted boxes, so eight take away twenty would be twelve dollars and so, it’s temporary partial payments, so you would get a partial payment on that.
So that’s a partial payment to allow you to work your way back into the workforce from a generous employer who wants you back and it’s going to work you into the system as you recover.
Cindy: George, how can you be reached for more information?
George: You can reach us at 1-800-849-SINK and that’s 7465 or on the website at www.sinklaw.com.
Cindy: George, until next time. Thanks for coming.
George: Well, thank you Cindy. Thank you so much for having me.
Cindy: My pleasure. This is Cindy Speaker for State Law TV.
