The Minnesota workers’ compensation system does not provide for pain and suffering. It does, however, provide for a different type of benefit called permanent partial disability (PPD). Permanent partial disability is the benefit that provides for the loss of use or function of a body part after an injury. PPD is based on a percentage of the whole body and the Minnesota Legislature created the disability schedules, which outline exactly what injury entitles injured workers to what percentage of PPD.
Permanent partial disability is then calculated by multiplying the percentage outlined in the disability schedule by a monetary amount.

By all accounts, the first annual Firefighters for Healing Red Tie Gala was a huge success! More than 400 attendees showed up on Saturday November 7, 2015, at the Exchange Club in the historic Lumber Exchange Building in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, dressed in their finest suit and red tie or beautiful red dress. The event raised more than $100,000 through ticket sales, a silent auction, a live auction, and other donations for burn survivors and their families to aid in their recovery efforts. The evening featured red carpet photos, color guard presentation of the flag and national anthem sung by former NFL player, Esera Tuaolo.

Recovering from an injury is a slow process. Anyone who tells you otherwise probably has never been seriously injured. Suffering an injury involves damage and harm done to your body or mind, an impairment to your normal functioning. In other words, you can’t always do what you did before your injury. Seeking compensation from an employer (or their insurance company) is therefore an honest form of relief – a bargained for benefit, that in no way is something to be ashamed of – an honest injury demands honest relief. This is what drives the attorneys at Meuser Law Office, P.A. We want to see you protected and fairly compensated for the harm suffered in service of others.
Here are some helpful points to remember when successfully navigating the Minnesota workers’ compensation system:

Get everything in writing. When injured, the first step is to see a doctor right away. Make sure you have the doctor’s diagnosis and restrictions in writing. This allows you to have a physical copy showing what you can or cannot do, as declared by a medical professional. In other words, it carries weight.

Think before you act. Once an employer admits your injury claim, and then offers a job that is less physically demanding (or demanding in a different way), be aware of the potential consequences accepting the job could have on your workers’ compensation benefits. Generally, accepting the job is your duty under the Minnesota Workers’ Compensation Act, because it is an offer of “gainful employment.” In other words, it would be a job for you to mitigate the effects of your injury. The tricky part is deciphering whether the offer of employment is suitable for you or not.

When you are applying for a Police Officer and Firefighter Plan PERA Duty Disability benefit, it is important to know that there are some very complicated rules that apply. If your attorney is not aware of some of these rules, it can cost you significant amounts of money. For example, there is what we call the 2-year Rule. What that means is if your injury pre-dated your application by more than 2 years, you have additional criteria that you need to demonstrate in order to be approved for a PERA Police and Fire Plan Duty Disability.