Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Wage Amount Changing Nov. 1, 2009

July 24, 2009

In the state of Oklahoma, recent changes in the Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Court may alter your weekly wage compensation amount.  Starting on the first of November, individuals allotted for the maximum amount of benefits per week per the Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Act will see an increase in their benefits.  This increase stems from the findings of the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission, which stated the SAWW (state’s average weekly wage) had increased.  From the period of the first of November 2009 to the last day in October in 2010, workers receiving the maximum amount of benefits are now entitled to $717 per week for total disability and death cases, and partial disability cases are now entitled to $359 per week.  In addition, revised benefits schedules for other individuals will see increases most likely as well.

The finding seem to coincide with a number of factors in state, including the aforementioned increased average weekly wage rate, but also, is linked to the continual increases in the Federal Minimum Wage.  The federal minimum hourly wage rate once again increased on the twenty-fifth of July 2009.  Even in times of high unemployment across the nation, disabled individuals are still receiving a relatively high wage compensation amount, especially for those individuals with total disability.  In comparison to the federal hourly minimum wage rate, a maximum benefits recipient in the Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation program receives $10.68 more per hour based on a forty-hour workweek.