In addition, the disability may be total or partial. Using these four criteria, payments are usually classified into one of four categories:

Temporary Total (TTD). A TTD injury prevents the worker from resuming regular job duties for a relatively limited amount of time. For example, a worker who has broken his leg on the job would probably be unable to do his normal job for 6-8 weeks, during which time he would receive TTD disability payments.

TTD payments are usually based on a percentage of the worker’s average weekly wage (for example, 66 2/3). The worker with a broken leg would then receive $1000 per week for 6-8 weeks if his weekly salary was $1500

Temporary Partial (TPD). If the worker with the broken leg was able to return to work but was unable to do the same job while his leg heals, he might be placed in a temporary position that doesn’t pay as much as his regular job. He would then qualify for Temporary Partial Disability. For example, if because of the restricted duties of his temporary job he earned only $1000 per week compared to his regular salary of $1500 per week, his TPD payment would be a percentage of the difference between his regular wage and his temporary wage. In this example, he would get 66 2/3 percent of $500 plus his temporary wage of $1000. A total of $1,333.

Permanent Total (PTD). If a worker sustains a permanent injury, making her unable to perform the type of work she was doing before the injury, she would receive PTD. These payments, too, are paid as a percentage of the weekly wages the worker received before the PTD. They may be paid for the rest of the worker’s life or in some states, until retirement age. According to the National Council on Compensation Insurance, PTD cases are relatively rare, accounting for less than one percent of cases.

Permanent Partial (PPD). Far more common among Permanent Disability cases are PPD cases. PPD cases involve workers who though they are unable to work at their former jobs because a permanent injury, are not completely unable to work. According to the NCCI, between 56 and 69 percent of workers compensation disability cash payments made are for PPD cases.