What is permanent disability?

Permanent disability occurs when the injured worker cannot perform even a sedentary job within a 50-mile radius of their home, and that decision is decided by a vocational expert, in most cases. However, the doctor, when the doctor says, “You have reached maximum medical improvement, and your medical care will not improve,” that’s when the decision as to whether or not you are permanently disabled occurs. If that happens, then you receive workers’ compensation, permanent total disability benefits until the age of 75, with some exceptions, and you also receive your medical care, paid by the workers’ comp carrier, permanently.