Your disability rating plays a significant role in determining the benefits you receive. If you are classified as totally disabled, your weekly benefit may increase—not simply because your injury is more severe, but because total disability status triggers additional financial protections. For example, total disability can qualify you for a yearly cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), which is based on the CPI index and may raise your weekly rate annually when applicable. You may also be eligible for dependency benefits for any qualifying dependents you support. In contrast, partial disability does not include these additions. To better understand how rating levels affect your benefits, you can review this overview on challenging a rating or explore what happens when you request a second opinion review. Our workman’s compensation lawyers can help you evaluate whether your rating accurately reflects your condition, and our RI workers’ comp benefits offers deeper insight into how compensation is calculated in Rhode Island.

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