What is My Average Monthly Wage?
If you are injured on the job in Arizona, and are taken off work, or put on light duty for at least seven days, there is a strong probability that the workers’ compensation insurance carrier will issue a Recommended average monthly wage notice. The Industrial Commission of Arizona, which is the state agency in charge of workers’ compensation in Arizona, will then issue a notice of average monthly wage.
This notice will formally establish the rate of pay for the life of your workers’ compensation claim.
It is absolutely crucial that this notice sets the injured workers’ wage correctly. Otherwise, the injured worker could be potentially incorrectly paid for the rest of their life.
Whenever an injured worker starts receiving compensation, it’s based on that average monthly wage. They will receive a percentage of that average monthly wage either in temporary or permanent disability benefits.
Any compensation that the Arizona injured worker received for the rest of life will be based off that wage even if they reopen their case 10 years down the road. It all relates back to the date of injury average monthly wage.
Once the notice of average monthly wage is issued, the injured worker only has 90 days from the date of it issuance to file an appeal at the Industrial Commission of Arizona. That’s why it’s crucial that this wage is addressed right away in a request for hearing is filed within those 90 days. This could mean thousands and thousands of dollars over the life of a claim that the injured worker misses out on if not set correctly.
If you have any questions about this subject or anything else involving Arizona workers’ compensation, or Social Security disability. Please call our office for a free consultation. We have offices statewide throughout Arizona. We are the “client-focused” law firm and the Rock for Injured and Disabled Workers.
