WCD Updates Instructions for Gainful Employment Determination

The Oregon Workers’ Compensation Division posted updated thresholds to determine gainful employment and eligibility for permanent totally disability benefits. An injured worker’s adjusted average weekly wage and the federal poverty guidelines for a family of three are used to determine whether a worker is gainfully employed. The threshold for injuries on or after Jan. 1, 2006, is the lesser of the worker’s adjusted yearly earnings and the current federal poverty level at the time a claim is closed. The federal poverty guidelines for a family of three increased 4.872% to $2...