Qualifying for Supplemental Income Benefits or SIBS

Few things are worse than when you’re injured on the job and unable to continue to support your family because you’re unable to return to work. There could be many reasons for not being able to return to work, such as your employer is unwilling to accommodate your work-duty restrictions imposed by your doctor or your employer has simply terminated your employment.

Under the Texas Workers Compensation Act, workers compensation insurance companies are required to provide financial and medical support to employees injured on the job. Employees will have their reasonable and necessary medical bills covered and receive income benefits to offset their wages.

In cases of severe work-related injuries, an employee may be paid for ongoing disability after the most common types of benefits have been exhausted. This is called Supplemental Income Benefits (SIBs). SIBs are paid on a monthly basis. SIBs are based on a complicated formula that an attorney can assist an injured employee to calculate.

An injured employee must apply and qualify for SIBs on a quarterly basis, about every 3 months. For the first quarter only, the Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) makes the SIBs eligibility determination. On all subsequent quarters, the employer’s workers compensation insurance carrier makes the determination. If the injured employee is denied by the insurance carrier or DWC, the injured employee has the right to pursue his or her entitlement to SIBs for that quarter through the dispute resolution system of the Texas DWC.

The important period for qualifying for SIBs is called the “Qualifying Quarter.” Whether an injured employee is eligible depends on the circumstances during the 13 weeks before the beginning date of the SIBs determination. If an injured employee qualifies during the qualifying quarter, then he or she becomes eligible to receive payment during the supplemental income benefits quarter.

In determining eligibility under SIBs, an injured employee must show that as a direct result of a work-related injured he or she:

1.      Received an impairment rating of 15% or more; and

2.      Is unable to return to work because of the impairment, or has returned to work but is earning less than 80% of his or her pre-injury average weekly wage because of the impairment; and

3.      Did not take a lump sum payment of impairment income benefits; and

4.      Met specific work-search requirements based on Texas Workforce Commission standards or is actively participating in a vocational rehabilitation program.

From the date of the injury, SIBs continue to be paid in each quarter that an employee applies and is approved until the employee demonstrates long-term employment by going 4 consecutive quarters without being entitled to SIBS or until a total of 401 weeks (approximately 7 1/2 years) of income benefits have been exhausted on the claim.

Often, an injured employee's SIBs application will be denied because they missed a deadline or failed to meet some SIBs requirement. Many injured employees think that a denial means they will no longer receive benefits. But this denial only applies to that particular quarter of SIBs to which the employee applied. The injured employee can still meet the requirements for the subsequent quarters of SIBs. It’s important to note that an injured employee will permanently lose entitlement to SIBs if the injured employee does not apply or applies and is rejected for four consecutive quarters.

For all workers compensation needs, especially ensuring proper compliance with the SIBs qualifying requirements, it is better to have an attorney that is board certified in Texas Workers Compensation Law for representation. With proper legal representation, you can improve your chances of a favorable outcome.