How Much Is My Utah Workers' Comp Case Worth?

If you have been hurt at work in Utah, the first question is almost always: how much is my case actually worth? The honest answer is that case value is the sum of four separate buckets — and each one has its own formula in Utah Code Title 34A.

This post walks through each bucket with real numbers. By the end, you should be able to back-of-the-envelope your own case in under 5 minutes. (Or just use the CVR Quick Calculator and skip the math.)

The 4 buckets of a Utah workers' comp case

Your total case value is the sum of all four. Let's break each one down.

1. TTD — Temporary Total Disability

If your doctor takes you off work entirely while you heal, you get 66.67% of your Average Weekly Wage (AWW). There's a cap: in 2026, the Utah maximum TTD rate is around $1,098/week, and the minimum is around $45/week.

Quick example: If you earned $1,200/week before the injury and you're off work for 12 weeks:

• Weekly TTD: $1,200 × 0.6667 = $800/week
• Total TTD over 12 weeks: $9,600

2. PPD — Permanent Partial Disability

Once your doctor says you have reached Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI) — meaning you're as healed as you're going to get — they assign an impairment rating (a percentage of permanent loss). That rating drives your PPD.

The Utah PPD formula is:

PPD = Impairment % × 312 weeks × your TTD rate

Quick example: Same $1,200/week worker, with a 10% whole-person impairment rating after a back injury:

• 10% × 312 weeks = 31.2 weeks of PPD
• 31.2 × $800 = $24,960 in PPD

PPD is paid out weekly, the same as TTD, until it's exhausted. Bigger injuries (15%+ impairment) usually mean five-figure or six-figure PPD awards.

3. Medical expenses

Utah workers' comp pays 100% of reasonable and necessary medical care: doctor visits, surgery, hospital stays, MRI/CT scans, prescriptions, physical therapy, prosthetics. No deductible, no co-pay, no out-of-pocket.

For settlement purposes, the future medical cost estimate matters. A future spinal fusion can be $60,000+. Future PT for 2 years can be $15,000. These add to your case value.

4. Travel reimbursement (mileage)

Often overlooked, often worth thousands. Utah pays the federal IRS rate per mile for every trip to a workers' comp medical appointment, plus parking. Workers in St. George driving to Salt Lake for specialist appointments can accumulate $2,000–5,000 in travel reimbursement alone.

Putting it all together — a real case

Let's stack a typical industrial accident case:

That's a 10% impairment case. A 20% impairment case would roughly double the PPD portion, putting total case value north of $100,000.

What about pain and suffering?

Unlike personal injury cases, Utah workers' comp does NOT pay for pain and suffering. The trade-off is that you don't have to prove fault — you can be 100% at fault for the accident and still get TTD, PPD, medical, and travel. That's the historic compromise of the workers' comp system.

Things that lower your case value

• Late reporting — fail to notify your employer within 180 days and the case can be denied entirely.
• Inconsistent treatment — gaps in medical care signal you're not really hurt.
• Social media posts — adjusters monitor Facebook and Instagram looking for evidence that contradicts your injury.
• Pre-existing conditions — they can apportion part of your impairment to the prior condition, lowering PPD.
• Returning to work too soon — cuts off TTD payments early.

The fastest way to know what your case is worth

Plug your numbers into the CVR Quick Calculator. It uses the same Utah Code formulas above and the current 2026 Labor Commission rates. Output in 5 minutes. No signup, no credit card.

If your case is worth more than $15,000–20,000 estimated, talking to a workers' comp attorney is worth it — Utah caps attorney fees at 25%, paid only if you win. Browse our directory of vetted Utah workers' comp attorneys.