Sick Leave Bank Or Temporary Total Disability? An Introduction To How Leave Benefit Options Will Affect Your Workers’ Compensation Case

Many of my teacher clients often ask, and understandably so, how will I be paid while I am out of work and recovering from my injury? Because many boards of education in Maryland offer benefits other than what the Workers’ Compensation Act allows – the answer is – “it depends”. Oftentimes, the type of benefit received may be your choice – making it a good time to contact your attorney and make sure you understand the implications of what benefit you choose.

Maryland Law for Teachers Workers’ Comp

Maryland law requires an Employer to pay you at the rate of 2/3s of your salary for the period of time you are recovering from your work related injury (legally known as temporary total disability or “TTD”). For many private sector employees, other than possibly a short or long term disability plan, the 2/3s wage benefit is the only benefit available while out of work. The 2/3s TTD benefit is tax free; however, oftentimes your health insurance is placed on hold, along with your contribution to any pension or other 401k type program while you receive this wage benefit – oftentimes placing you in a precarious position.

Additional Benefits Through Unions

Many teacher unions however, have collectively bargained for additional benefit options for their members. These benefits differ by County. Many boards of education will pay anywhere from 90 days to one year of “disability leave” (also known as “accident leave” or in certain cases “assault leave”) which takes the place of the workers’ compensation act’s 2/3s leave benefit. This benefit pays 100% of wages for the period of time you are recovering from your injury, effectively taking the place of your normal salary. Perhaps most importantly, this allows you to continue to pay for your own health insurance and contribute to your pension, FSA, etc., which many of my clients find to be extremely beneficial – especially if they provide health insurance for their families.

Once the “accident leave” or “disability leave” benefit has run its course, other potential TTD alternatives may be available to you. Personal and sick leave can always be used – however, these are earned leave benefits that should not be wasted on a work related injury if at all possible (if an employer is requiring you to use your own accrued leave to recover from a work injury, consult with your attorney). These are leave benefits you have earned – you are entitled to keep them if you are hurt on the job. Also important to note, even if your employer forced you to use your own personal or sick leave, oftentimes these benefits can be reimbursed at a later date.

Sick Leave Bank

Many school boards also offer “sick leave bank” benefits as another payment option. To be eligible you must contribute a set number of personal leave days to the bank per year to qualify – each County has its own set of rules and regulations to access the “bank”. You must be a member of the bank prior to needing to the days, however, when a work injury takes place this is another option which pays at 100% of your wages and continues the other benefits noted above (e.g. health insurance, etc.).

Additional Options to Review and Discuss

There may be other options aside from those noted above to compensate you when you’re injured on the job. Leave benefits are just one of the benefits you may be entitled to if you are injured on the job. Compensation for permanent problems, retraining and reimbursement for travel expenses are just a few of the other benefits that may be available to you.

Consult with your attorney to be sure you are not leaving money on the table.

By Ken Berman