At the beginning of summer two things happen. School let’s out , and the Department of Labor releases it’s average weekly wage rate for New York State. I know, there are some geeks out there screaming , NO that data is released in March. Yeah, yeah, however
it becomes meaningful to employers, and injured workers typically July 1st, when the New York Workers Compensation Board releases the actual MAXIMUM weekly benefit rate, which for July 2010 thru July
2011 is $ 739.83. The monks at the Comp Board arrive at this number by taking the New York Department of Labor average weekly wage rate for the state which was $1109.75 released in March 2010 , and
applying a factor of 2/3’s , which is how we end up at the MAXIMUM NY WORKERS COMPENSATION BENEFIT RATE of $ 739.83 for July 2010 thru July 2011.
Hopefully you are reading this a a mere satistical curiosity, and not as a number you will depend on to feed your family. The good news for injured workers is the benefit rate has gone up dramatically over the last several years, and is actually pegged to
a real number that should increase every year, rather than having the benefit rate remain static over a period of many years eroding the benefit to working families thru the disease better known as inflation.
Just thought you should know!