If accurate weekly wages cannot be determined from the wage statement accompanying an Employer's First Report of Injury, how should the temporary disability rate be determined?

• A. pay minimum temporary disability
• B. average actual weekly earnings and pay temporary disability accordingly
• C. delay payment of temporary disability and request a wage statement
• D. pay maximum temporary disability

Answer: (B)

The amount of temporary disability should be based on the worker’s actual earning history. When the wage statement with the Employer’s First Report of Injury doesn’t provide a reliable weekly wage, you determine the rate by looking at the average actual weekly earnings from available payroll records or prior earnings history, and then pay two-thirds of that amount as temporary disability (within any statutory minimum and maximum limits). This approach ensures the TD payment reflects the employee’s typical earnings rather than guessing from an incomplete wage statement.

Paying a fixed minimum or maximum without tying it to the worker’s actual average earnings would misstate the benefit, and delaying TD because the wage statement is unclear isn’t appropriate if you can establish the earnings from other records.