Back Injury Without Surgery

• Employees frequently suffer low back strains from lifting heavy boxes. These kinds of back injuries result in strains that typically heal in a few weeks or months. In these cases, a typical workers compensation settlement would include payment of all outstanding medical bills, physical therapy treatment, massage treatment, back brace and lost wages. Because no permanent impairment exists, a lump sum of money would not be distributed at the end of the claim.
  
  

Back Injury With Surgery

• Sometimes a back injury can be so severe that it warrants surgery. Back surgery can entail hospitalization and a long recovery period. The size of back settlements increase with surgery. The settlement will include payment of all medical bills, physical therapy after surgery, and lost wages. In addition, the claim will be awarded an impairment award upon closure. For example, the state of Washington pays back impairment awards (described as lumbosacral impairments) in the range of $9,000 to $135,000. This is a typical range for most states.
  
  

Total Permanent Disability

• In some cases, a workers compensation back injury can be so bad that it results in total permanent disability. This means that a worker will never be able to return to reasonably continuous gainful employment. In these cases, the settlement will include payment of all medical bills and compensation for a percentage of lost wages for the rest of the worker's life. These benefits can also be left to a surviving spouse. Workers often subsidize this money with Social Security disability benefits.
  
  

Third Party Liability

• A workers compensation settlement for a back injury can increase if a third party is at fault for the injury. For example, if an employee injures his back in a car accident while driving for his employer and the person driving the other vehicle was at fault, the employee will have a workers compensation claim and a third party claim. This increases his opportunity for monetary recovery.