Which of the following is a category of disability benefits in workers' compensation?

• A. Temporary Total Disability
• B. Temporary Partial Disability
• C. Permanent Partial Disability
• D. Permanent Total Disability

Answer: (D)

Disability benefits in workers’ compensation are organized by how long and how completely a worker cannot work. Permanent Total Disability is the designation used when an injury leaves a worker permanently unable to perform any kind of work, meaning the inability is both permanent and total. This makes it a distinct category because it signals ongoing, lifetime-type earning capacity loss and typically leads to benefits designed to replace substantial wages for as long as the condition persists, subject to state rules. In contrast, temporary total disability covers a temporary period of total incapacity with an expectation of recovery, temporary partial disability is a temporary reduction in earning capacity, and permanent partial disability reflects a permanent impairment that still allows some work but with lasting limitations. So, the category that specifies permanent total incapacity best fits the question.