People generally apply for disability after an injury or illness causes them to be unable to perform steady employment. Filing for disability benefits can be a confusing process that is only made more complicated by the different types of disabilities for which a person may apply.
Here are a couple of the differences between permanent total and partial disability benefits in North Dakota.
What people use them for
People use permanent total disability when an illness or injury causes them to be completely unable to do the work that they used to perform. Some examples of permanent disability include heart disease, amputation and vision or hearing loss. On the other hand, people use partial disability when they experience limitations in the amount or type of work that they can do, but can still work some. People may receive partial disability for many of the same conditions as permanent disability, but there will generally be a difference in the severity of the conditions.
How much someone receives
Another key difference between permanent and partial disability is the amount that someone can receive from their disability payments. In general, permanent disability payments are higher because the recipients have no other supplemental income while receiving payments. However, there are other factors, such as an individual’s earning potential and the number of years that that individual did work, that go into deciding both types of disability payments.
The more someone understands the processes behind disability payments, the better they can represent themselves if they ever need to apply for those benefits.