Average Weekly Wage Decides Workers’ Comp Benefits

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Workers’ Compensation benefits are partially determined by your average weekly wage.

One of the factors that determines how much you receive in workers’ compensation benefits is the calculation of your average weekly wage. In Nebraska, in most cases, average weekly wage is calculated by:

  1. going back 26 weeks
  2. multiplying your hours times your straight time pay
  3. excluding abnormally low-hours weeks (generally those of 32 hours a week or less)
  4. taking the total amount of wages earned in non-abnormally low work weeks divided by the number of non-abnormal weeks.

Multiply your average weekly wage by two-thirds, and that is what you should receive for your weekly workers’ compensation benefit. That amount is exempt from federal and state taxes in Nebraska, so your work comp check should oftentimes be close to your actual take-home pay, unless you are working a lot of overtime.

There are all sorts of exceptions to the basic way to calculate average weekly wage. If you receive a fixed amount for room and board as part of your contract, then that amount is included in addition to your wages. If you just started at your employer, then a court might look at what other workers were making in the six months before your injury to determine your average weekly wage. An employer might also try to reduce your workers’ compensation benefits if they can deem you a “seasonal employee.” School-district employees will often be paid workers’ compensation benefits based off a weekly average of their annual pay.

There are two types of workers’ compensation benefits: temporary and permanent. Employees who work less than 40 hours a week will be paid permanent disability benefits based on a 40-hour week. But please keep in mind that all of these rules vary from state to state.

The offices of Rehm, Bennett, Moore & Rehm, which also sponsors the Trucker Lawyers website, are located in Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska. Five attorneys represent plaintiffs in workers’ compensation, personal injury, employment and Social Security disability claims. The firm’s lawyers have combined experience of more than 95 years of practice representing injured workers and truck drivers in Nebraska, Iowa and other states with Nebraska and Iowa jurisdiction. The lawyers regularly represent hurt truck drivers and often sue Crete Carrier Corporation, K&B Trucking, Werner Enterprises, UPS, and FedEx. Lawyers in the firm hold licenses in Nebraska and Iowa and are active in groups such as the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers, Workers' Injury Law & Advocacy Group (WILG), American Association for Justice (AAJ), the Nebraska Association of Trial Attorneys (NATA), and the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). We have the knowledge, experience and toughness to win rightful compensation for people who have been injured or mistreated.

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