Workers Compensation Terms and Definitions

Claims Administrator This is the term for insurance companies and others who handle your workers' compensation claim. Temporary Patial Disability (TPD) A wage replacement benefit that may be paid when you return to work but at less than full earnings. Sometimes referred to as Wage Loss. State Disability Insurance (SDI): A branch of the Employment Development Department that pays temporary disability benefits for non-industrial injuries or illnesses. Stipulation with Request for Award (Stip): A settlement where the parties agree on the terms of an award. It may include any future medical treatment. Payment takes place over time. Settlement A workers' compensation cases may be settled in one of two ways, by a Compromise and Release (C&R) or by a Stipulation with Request for Award (Stip). A C&R usually settles all outstanding issues in a claim for a single lump sum payment. A Stipulation may leave certain issues open, such as future medical treatment and/or vocational rehabilition. Commutation An order by a Workers' Compensation Administrative Law Judge for a lump sum payment of part or all of your permanent disability award. Payment can be made to either the injured worker or the injured worker's attorney. Panel Qualified Medical Evaluator A list of three independent qualified medical evaluators issued by the state Industrial Medical Council. You select any one of the three doctors for your evaluation. This is for workers not represented by an attorney. Vocational Rehabilitation This benefit assists qualified injured workers in returning to work. Wage Loss Temporary disability benefits that may be paid when an employee returns to work at less than full earnings. Also known as Temporary Partial Disability (TPD). Claim Form A form to report a work injury or illness to your employer.

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	Did You Know?
	Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) are OSHA's premier partnership programs The Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) are OSHA's premier partnership programs designed to recognize workplaces with exemplary safety and health programs. VPP participants serve as models of excellence for others in their industries and communities and are exempt from routine OSHA inspections.