Workers Comp ABC's
Ohio Workers' Compensation
ALPHABET
From Start to Finish
Attorneys, hearing officers, claim representatives and others often use abbreviations for terms pertinent to adjudicating an Ohio workers' compensation claim. This can be confusing so here's a glossary with some common abbreviations to help you navigate through the system:
A AWW Average Weekly Wage. One of the rates calculated for payment of compensation in a claim. Generally the wages of an injured worker for the year prior to the date of accident are used to calculate this rate.
B BWC Bureau of Workers' Compensation. The agency that administers workers' compensation claims.
C C9 The form a medical provider must submit to the managed care organization for approval of treatment for allowed conditions in a claim.
D DWRF Disabled Workers Relief Fund. Cost of living factored into permanent total disability claims. It is paid when the rate of compensation and other benefits of the injured worker do not meet the annual weekly rate.
E ER Emergency room.
F FCE Functional Capacity Evaluation. An extensive evaluation to determine the work level an injured worker is capable of performing.
G GJ Garson Johnson LLC. Our firm is very experienced in representing Ohio injured workers. Call for a free consultation.
H HR Handicap Reimbursement. Financial relief given to an employer with proof an injured worker has a pre-existing medical condition that impedes/delays the recovery of a work injury. Often arthritis or diabetes are the reason for awarding this to an employer.
It reduces an employer's workers' compensation premium.
I IC Industrial Commission. This state agency adjudicates all disputes in a workers' compensation claim.
J JE Judgment Entry. A document filed by the Court with a finding/determination. This is pertinent to claims that are in litigation.
K K EKG (okay, a little stretch here). Many diagnostic tests are performed by the medical community to determine the extent of an injury and/or progress in recovery. MRI, EMG, NCV are abbreviations for common diagnostic tests.
L LM Living Maintenance. Compensation paid while an injured worker participates in vocational rehabilitation.
M MMI Maximum medical improvement. When an injury reaches complete recovery or there is no longer room for improvement. Temporary total disability will no longer be paid in a claim if the allowed conditions reach MMI.
N NWWL Non-working wage loss. An injured worker may be entitled to compensation if he/she makes a good faith effort to look for comparable work within the restrictions due to the allowed conditions in a claim.
O O.R.C. Ohio Revised Code. The rule book. It contains the legislation enacted in Ohio. O.R.C. 4121 and 4123 govern Ohio workers' compensation.
P PPD Permanent partial disability. Compensation an injured worker may be entitled to for residual effects/problems for the allowed conditions in a claim.
Q QA Quality assurance. The state agencies and managed care organizations have quality assurance policies to ensure claims are processed properly and timely.
R RTW Return to work.
S SC Salary continuation. An employer can elect to pay salary continuation in lieu of temporary total disability compensation while an injured worker recovers from an injury. The parties have to agree to this and it often helps the employer save on premiums while the injured worker does not have to wait for a claim to be processed before compensation is paid. TTD is not taxable but SC is taxable income.
T TTD Temporary total disability. The compensation paid to an injured worker while recovering from an injury at work.
U U You. Manage your health care and keep on top of the status of your claim. For example, ask questions if you do not understand why a medical procedure is recommended or why an issue is going to hearing. But let the professionals do their job and heed their advice.
V VR Vocational rehabilitation. A program offered to injured workers to assist in a return to work. The services vary but generally include work hardening, some very basic computer/clerical training, and help with a job search.
W WWL Working wage loss. Compensation an injured worker may be entitled to if he/she returns to work with restrictions that reduce the number of hours in a work week and/or the rate of pay. WWL is calculated based on current earnings less the AWW rate.
X XR X-ray
Y YTD Year to date. An entry on most paystubs. It can often be used as documentation of earnings to calculate the AWW.
Z Z The end!
