Types of Workers’ Comp Benefits in Colorado

Medical benefits keep treatment moving without out-of-pocket costs

Employers must provide all reasonable and necessary medical care for work-related injuries, including emergency treatment, specialist visits, surgery, prescription medication, and durable medical equipment, without copays or coinsurance.^[2] Your authorized treating physician can also prescribe maintenance care such as ongoing therapy, injections, or medication that prevent regression even after you reach maximum medical improvement.^[2]

Colorado employers typically hand injured workers a list of at least four designated providers. Selecting a doctor from that list locks in workers’ comp coverage, and you may switch to another listed provider within 90 days. After that window, you can request a change with Form WC 197, but the carrier must approve it before you treat with a new physician.^[3] If you need the full filing roadmap, start with our Colorado claim guide for notice and form deadlines.

Transportation adds up quickly, so keep mileage and parking receipts tied to medical visits. The Division of Workers’ Compensation encourages carriers to reimburse those travel costs when you submit timely logs.^[4]

Temporary disability checks replace part of your paycheck

When authorized restrictions keep you off the job, temporary total disability (TTD) benefits pay sixty-six-and-two-thirds percent of your average weekly wage (AWW) up to the statutory cap, issued at least every two weeks.^[4][5] Colorado’s three-shift waiting period is reimbursed once the disability lasts more than fourteen days, so document the calendar gap between the accident and your doctor’s release.^[5]

If you return to work on reduced hours or light-duty pay, temporary partial disability (TPD) makes up two-thirds of the difference between your pre-injury wages and what you earn with restrictions.^[4][6]These wage-replacement checks are generally exempt from federal income tax, stretching each payment further during recovery.^[7]

• Stay in close contact with your treating physician, because missed appointments can pause temporary benefits.^[5]
• Alert the adjuster when your hours or pay change so TPD adjustments keep pace with your real earnings.^[6]
• Save pay stubs and mileage records to verify AWW calculations and reimbursement requests.

Permanent disability benefits hinge on impairment ratings

After you reach maximum medical improvement (MMI), a Level II accredited physician calculates any permanent impairment and assigns an AMA Guides rating that determines permanent partial disability (PPD) benefits.^[4][8] Scheduled losses (think fingers, hands, arms, legs, vision, or hearing) use a statutory table that multiplies the impairment percentage by a fixed number of weeks for that body part.^[8]

Injuries to the spine, head, or other unscheduled areas convert to whole-person ratings. Those awards apply the impairment percentage, an age factor, and a 400-week multiplier to your TTD rate, often producing larger recoveries for systemic injuries.^[8]Mental impairment ratings are capped at thirty-six weeks of benefits but still interact with physical ratings to determine the overall cap that applies to your case.^[8]

Permanent total disability is the lifetime safety net

If your injury leaves you unable to earn any wages in the same or other employment, permanent total disability (PTD) benefits pay the same rate as TTD for your lifetime, subject to the statewide maximum.^[4][9] Refusing bona fide vocational rehabilitation or suitable work can jeopardize a PTD award, so evaluate every offer with counsel before declining.^[9]

Disfigurement and ancillary awards plug critical gaps

Colorado authorizes additional disfigurement payments of up to statutorily indexed caps for severe scarring, burns, or limb loss affecting areas normally exposed to public view.^[10] These awards stack on top of medical and wage benefits, recognizing the long-term impact of visible injuries.

Mental health impairments tied to traumatic on-the-job events remain compensable when diagnosed by a licensed psychiatrist or psychologist, though they carry separate duration limits. Document counseling and medication needs so they factor into impairment calculations and settlement discussions.^[8]

Death benefits support dependents and cover funeral costs

If a work injury proves fatal, surviving dependents receive weekly payments worth sixty-six-and-two-thirds percent of the worker’s AWW, capped at ninety-one percent of the statewide average weekly wage.^[11]Total dependency yields the full rate, while partial dependency continues until the ordered amount is fully paid.^[12] When there are no dependents, the statute limits recovery to medical care already provided and reasonable funeral expenses.^[12]

Average weekly wage drives every calculation

Your average weekly wage captures gross earnings from all employment at the time of injury, including overtime, bonuses, mileage-based pay, and certain fringe benefits like employer-paid health insurance, unless the statute excludes a particular item.^[13] Colorado tailors the formula to how you are paid: monthly salaries convert to weekly amounts by multiplying by twelve and dividing by fifty-two, piece-rate earnings average over the prior twelve months, and per-diem or hourly pay scales adjust to the schedule you normally worked.^[13]

Because every wage-loss, permanent disability, and death benefit calculation flows from AWW, audit the carrier’s math early. Provide W-2s, 1099s, tip records, and proof of concurrent employment to ensure nothing is left out.

Lump sums and ongoing medical rights

Six months after the injury, you may request that some or all accrued benefits be paid as a lump sum. The carrier discounts future payments to present value, files the calculation with the Division, and must continue paying any remaining periodic benefits on schedule.^[14] Before electing a lump sum, confirm that future medical care remains open and that you can manage the budget impact of losing steady weekly checks.

Tie these benefit mechanics back to our Colorado workers’ compensation hub for lien strategy, third-party coordination, and calculator workflows that show how wage caps influence settlement value.

Checklist to keep your benefits on track

• Log every medical visit, mileage submission, and work-status note to prevent gaps in payment.
• Calendar the three-shift waiting period, fourteen-day reimbursement trigger, and any MMI appointments.
• Recalculate AWW after bonuses, raises, or secondary jobs surface, and file objections quickly if numbers are off.
• Coordinate comp benefits with any third-party injury case so liens and offsets do not erode net recovery.