How Much Does Workers Comp Pay in Louisiana?
Louisiana workers compensation pays 66⅔% of your average weekly wage, capped at $877.00 per week and floored at $234.00 per week. The cap changes September 1 based on the state's average weekly wage. Below is the formula in plain words, four worked examples, and the money that flows on top of the weekly check.
The Louisiana weekly-pay formula
- Take your average weekly wage in the 52 weeks before the injury. Bonuses, overtime, and tips usually count; ask the claims adjuster about anything irregular.
- Multiply by two-thirds (66.67%).
- If that number is more than $877.00, you collect $877.00. The amount above the cap is gone.
- If that number is less than $234.00, you collect $234.00 instead.
- Otherwise, you collect the full two-thirds.
Four worked examples at different wage levels
These numbers all assume a Louisiana worker out of work entirely and collecting temporary total disability. Workers earning a partial wage during recovery get a smaller check.
| Pre-injury wage | Two-thirds raw | After Louisiana cap and floor | What the cap/floor did |
|---|---|---|---|
| $400 Part-time worker at $400/week | $266.67 | $266.67 | Neither cap nor floor; full two-thirds paid. |
| $1,000 Worker at the state average ($1,000/week) | $666.67 | $666.67 | Neither cap nor floor; full two-thirds paid. |
| $1,800 Skilled trade at $1,800/week | $1,200.00 | $877.00 | Hit the cap. $323.00 per week was lost. |
| $3,500 High-wage worker at $3,500/week | $2,333.33 | $877.00 | Hit the cap. $1,456.33 per week was lost. |
Money paid on top of the weekly check
The weekly check is the part most people mean when they ask how much workers comp pays. It is not the whole bill Louisiana requires the carrier to cover. Several other categories add up over the life of a claim, and a settlement at the end either pays them out as a lump or leaves them open for ongoing payment.
- All authorized medical care
- Doctor visits, surgery, prescription medication, physical therapy, durable medical equipment, and anything else the treating doctor authorizes for the work-related condition. Louisiana normally pays these directly to the provider, not to the worker.
- Mileage to medical appointments
- Louisiana reimburses travel to and from authorized workers comp medical appointments at the per-mile rate the state sets each year. Keep dated logs and odometer readings. Many workers never file for mileage because nobody told them to.
- Permanent disability award
- If you reach maximum medical improvement with a permanent loss, the doctor assigns an impairment rating and Louisiana pays a permanent partial disability award. The Louisiana settlement chart lays out the body-part values that drive this number.
- Vocational rehabilitation
- If the injury prevents a return to your prior job, Louisiana can require the carrier to pay for retraining, schooling, or job placement help. Workers in physically demanding jobs with permanent restrictions should ask about this directly.
- Death benefits
- If a worker is killed on the job, Louisiana pays a separate set of benefits to surviving spouses and dependents. The amounts and durations are set by statute and run distinct from the lost-wage benefit a living worker would have received.
How much Louisiana pays for specific injuries
For a permanent injury, the weekly check is only half the answer. The statutory schedule decides how many weeks of compensation you get for the loss. A back injury, a shoulder tear, a knee surgery, or hearing loss each has its own value, and the value scales with your average weekly wage.
The full body-part chart with maximum payouts at the current state cap lives at Louisiana workers comp settlement chart. The most common injuries searchers ask about:
- Back and spine injuries normally get valued against Louisiana's spine schedule or against the impairment rating attached to the spine after surgery.
- Rotator cuff and shoulder injuries get valued against the arm or shoulder schedule, with the impairment rating from the orthopedic surgeon driving the percentage of loss.
- Hearing loss has its own scheduled value, often tested with audiology to assign the impairment rating.
- Carpal tunnel and other repetitive-stress hand injuries usually get valued against the hand or wrist schedule, with surgery raising the rating.
What Louisiana workers comp does not pay for
Knowing what the system does not cover is as important as knowing what it does. Workers regularly assume coverage for things outside the statute and lose the chance to recover those losses another way.
- Pain and suffering. Louisiana workers comp is a no-fault system. The trade-off is medical care and wage replacement without proving anyone was at fault, in exchange for giving up the right to sue the employer for emotional distress or pain.
- The first few days of lost work. Most states impose a short waiting period before TTD payments start. If you are out long enough, the waiting period gets paid retroactively, but a one-day or two-day absence often goes unpaid.
- Unauthorized medical care. Treatment that was not approved by the carrier, or care from a provider outside the network where Louisiana requires one, can come back as the worker's responsibility.
- Lost wages from a second job. Louisiana bases the weekly check on the wage at the employer where the injury happened. If you also worked a second job, those wages usually do not get added to the calculation.
Sources
Every figure ties back to a public Louisiana or federal source.