How Much Are Workers' Compensation Benefits in Maryland?

If you were injured or got sick because of your job in Maryland, you may be eligible to receive benefits through the state workers' compensation system. The benefits you actually receive will depend on the nature of your injuries, whether you're able to return to work, your pre-injury earnings, and other factors unique to your case. This article explains how the most important workers' comp benefits are calculated in Maryland. (To get these benefits, you'll need to file a workers' comp claim within the state's time limits and show that your injury or illness is work related.)

Temporary Disability Benefits in Maryland

Temporary disability benefits cover a portion of your lost wages if you're unable to return to your regular job while you're recovering from your on-the-job injury or illness. These benefits will continue as long as you're temporarily disabled.

Temporary Total Disability

If you're completely unable to work during your recovery, you'll be eligible to receive temporary total disability (TTD) benefits. There's a three-day waiting period before these benefits kick in, unless you're off work for more than 14 days. TTD benefits are calculated as two-thirds of your average weekly wage at the time of your injury, up to the statewide average wage. For 2023, the maximum is $1,402. There's also a $50 minimum for weekly TTD benefits unless you were earning less than that at the time of your injury. (Md. Code, Lab. & Emp. § 9-620 (2023).)

Temporary Partial Disability

If you can return to work but aren't able to earn your normal wages due to the temporary limitations caused by your injury or illness, you'll receive temporary partial disability benefits equal to 50% of the difference between your pre-injury wages and your current earning capacity. For example, say your weekly wages were $1,000 at the time of your injury, but now you can earn only $600 because your doctor has limited you to light-duty or part-time work. Your temporary partial disability benefits would be $200 per week ($1,000 - $600 = $400 x .5 = $200).

The legal maximum for temporary partial disability benefits is 50% of the statewide average weekly wage ($701 for 2023). (Md. Code, Lab. & Emp. § 9-615 (2023).)

Permanent Disability Benefits

Once your treating doctor has determined that you've reached maximum medical improvement (meaning that your condition isn't expected to improve, even with further treatment), you'll be evaluated to see if your injury or illness has left you with lasting impairments—and, if so, to what extent.

How Permanent Partial Disability Benefits Are Calculated in Maryland

If you have permanent impairments that don't completely prevent you from working, the doctor will give you a permanent partial disability (PPD) rating, expressed in a percentage. The duration of PPD benefits will depend on the affected part or parts of your body, as well as the extent of the impairment. Here's the basic outline of how this part of the PPD calculation works:

• A schedule in Maryland law lists the number of weeks for amputation or total lost use of certain body parts (mostly the extremities, plus vision and hearing loss). For less than total loss of use, you would receive benefits for a number of weeks in proportion to your PPD rating for that body part. For instance, the schedule lists 300 weeks for total loss of an arm. If you've permanently lost 30% of the use of your arm, you would receive benefits for 90 weeks (300 x .3).
• For impairments to parts of the body not listed in the schedule—such as the back, neck, or internal organs—you'll receive benefits for a percentage of 500 weeks in proportion to the extent of your disability. For example, if the doctor gave you a PPD rating of 15% for a neck injury, you would receive benefits for 75 weeks (500 x .15).
• For a permanent disfigurement that's not otherwise compensated, you might be awarded PPD benefits for up to 156 weeks.

If you've received an award for less than 75 weeks, the duration of your award might be increased for up to 75 additional weeks if your impairment affects your ability to perform job duties (what's known as "industrial loss").

There's a $50 minimum for the weekly amount of PPD benefits (unless you earned less than that before your injury). Otherwise, the amount varies depending on the number of weeks in your award. There are exceptions for certain injuries and for public safety employees, but the general calculation of the weekly amount is as follows:

• Awards for under 75 weeks: one-third of your average weekly wage, up to 16.7% of the statewide average wage at the time of your injury (or $235 for injuries occurring in 2023).
• Awards for 75-249 weeks: two-thirds of your average weekly wage, up to one-third of the statewide average ($468 for 2023 injuries).
• Awards for more than 250 weeks (not including an award for disfigurement): two-thirds of your average weekly wage, up to 75% of the statewide average ($1,052 for 2023 injuries). In addition, the duration of the award for these serious disabilities will be increased by one-third.

If you've received more than one award for the same injury (for instance, if your injury resulted in a permanent impairment to both your neck and an arm), your weekly benefit amount will be calculated based on the total number of weeks for the combined awards.

Example: If you sustained 30% lost use of an arm plus 15% whole body impairment for a neck injury, you would receive a combined award for 165 weeks. If your pre-injury wages were $900 a week, you would receive benefits at the maximum rate for a 2023 injury ($468 per week), because two-thirds of $900 is over the limit. So your total PPD benefits would be $468 x 165, or $77,220.

Although PPD benefits are generally paid in addition to TTD benefits, Maryland law authorizes a workers' comp judge to order an offset or credit against your PPD award for TTD or vocational rehabilitation benefits that you've received. (Md. Code, Lab. & Emp. §§ 9-610.1, 9-626, 9-627, 9-628, 9-629, 9-630, 9-631 (2023).)

Permanent Total Disability

If your injury or occupational disease has left you permanently and totally disabled, you'll be entitled to benefits at the TTD rate, subject to the same maximum. However, these payments will be adjusted every year to reflect changes in the cost of living.

Maryland law presumes that you're totally and permanently disabled when you've completely lost the use of both hands, arms, feet, legs, or eyes, or any two of those body parts. Other permanent impairments may also qualify, but only if they prevent you from performing any type of work. Permanent total disability benefits will continue as long as you are totally disabled—potentially for life. (Md. Code, Lab. & Emp. §§ 9-636, 9-637, 9-638 (2023).)

Death Benefits

When an employee dies as a result of a work injury or illness, surviving family members who were financially dependent on the deceased worker may receive death benefits. If the deceased worker provided 100% of the family's income, the dependents will receive weekly benefits at the full TTD rate, subject to the same maximum.

However, if the deceased employee contributed only part of the family income, the amount will be reduced accordingly. For example, suppose the deceased employee had been earning $600 a week at the time of the injury, and that amount contributed 50% of the combined family income. The death benefit would be 50% of $400 (two-thirds of $600), or $200 a week. Death benefits are adjusted annually to reflect changes in the cost of living.

As a general rule, death benefits in Maryland continue for 12 years. Among the exceptions to this time limit, the payments may stop earlier when the surviving spouse remarries or children turn 18 (or 23 if they're still full-time students). (Md. Code, Lab. & Emp. § 9-683.3 (2023).)

Maryland has separate rules for death benefits paid to surviving dependents of certain county and municipal employees.

Other Workers' Comp Benefits in Maryland

In addition to the payments meant to cover part of lost wages, Maryland workers' compensation pays other benefits, including:

• Medical care. Workers' comp pays for all medical treatment that's needed for your work-related injury or illness, without any copays or deductibles. You may also get reimbursed for reasonable travel expenses to get to medical appointments, such as mileage. (Md. Code, Lab. & Emp. § 9-660 (2023).)
• Vocational rehabilitation. If your injuries prevent you from being able to return to the kind of work you're qualified to do, you'll be entitled to receive vocational rehabilitation services, including a vocational evaluation, counseling, training, and job placement. (Md. Code, Lab. & Emp. §§ 9-670, 9-672 (2023).)
• Funeral benefits. Workers' comp pays up to $7,000 in reasonable funeral expenses for an employee who died from a work-related injury or illness. (Md. Code, Lab. & Emp. § 9-689 (2023).)

Getting Help Collecting Workers' Comp Benefits

If your employer's insurance company has denied your workers' comp claim, isn't paying benefits you're entitled to receive, or won't authorize needed medical treatment, you should consider speaking with a Maryland workers' compensation lawyer. A local attorney who's experienced in this area can evaluate your case, discuss whether it makes sense to file an appeal, make sure any settlement agreement is fair, and help you get all of the benefits you deserve. (Learn more about how a good workers' comp lawyer can help.)