Virginia Injuries Definition

Legal and insurance terms explained plainly

Got a camera ticket in the mail, or wondering whether a roadside camera can be used against a driver after a crash? Automated speed enforcement is the use of cameras, radar, or...

DEFINITION 2026-03-23

average weekly wage

People often confuse average weekly wage with an hourly rate or annual salary. They are not the same. An hourly rate is what someone earns per hour worked. A salary is a fixed...

DEFINITION 2026-04-01

compensation rate

Think of it like replacing part of a paycheck after a storm washes out the road to work: the goal is not to pay every dollar you would have earned, but to set a predictable...

DEFINITION 2026-03-29

course and scope of employment

Whether an injury gets covered, denied, or fought over often turns on this phrase. If a worker was acting within the course and scope of employment when the harm happened,...

DEFINITION 2026-03-28

cumulative trauma

Is this still an injury if it didn't happen all at once? Yes. Cumulative trauma is harm that builds up over time from repeated stress, motion, vibration, pressure, or strain...

DEFINITION 2026-03-24

exclusive remedy doctrine

Can you sue your employer after a job injury, or are you limited to workers' comp? In most cases, the exclusive remedy doctrine means your only path against your employer is...

DEFINITION 2026-03-25

financial responsibility law

You usually see this phrase in a DMV notice, a crash report follow-up, or after someone says a driver "has to show proof of insurance." It means the legal requirement that a...

DEFINITION 2026-03-23

functional capacity evaluation

Like a road test after a vehicle repair, this is a structured check of what a person can safely do after an injury. In medical, insurance, and legal settings, a functional...

DEFINITION 2026-04-02

going and coming rule

Miss this rule, and an injury that feels obviously job-related can get denied because it happened a few minutes too early, too late, or a few steps off the employer's property....

DEFINITION 2026-04-03

impairment rating

What trips people up most is that a higher number does not automatically mean a person cannot work. An impairment rating is a medical estimate, usually given as a percentage,...

DEFINITION 2026-03-26

independent medical exam

Miss this appointment, say the wrong thing, or assume the doctor is there to help treat you, and your wage benefits or medical coverage can be cut off fast. An independent...

DEFINITION 2026-04-03

light duty

You might see it in a work note, an email from HR, or a doctor's restriction sheet saying something like "return to work on light duty only" or "no lifting over 10 pounds." In...

DEFINITION 2026-03-26

maximum medical improvement

People often mix this up with being "fully healed" or ready to go back to normal work. They are not the same. Maximum medical improvement means a doctor believes your condition...

DEFINITION 2026-04-02

modified duty

It is not a signal that you are fully healed or that your injury no longer counts. A lot of workers hear "modified duty" and think they have to go back to business as usual,...

DEFINITION 2026-03-31

occupational disease

How can an illness count as a work injury if there was no single accident? An occupational disease is a health condition caused by exposures, hazards, or repeated conditions...

DEFINITION 2026-04-03

period 1 coverage

Three phases became the standard way to describe rideshare insurance after Uber- and Lyft-related crashes exposed a gap in coverage: app off, app on waiting for a ride, and...

DEFINITION 2026-03-21

permanent partial disability

Missing this distinction can lead someone to accept too little money or stop pursuing benefits even though a lasting injury still limits part of the body or part of the ability...

DEFINITION 2026-03-29

permanent total disability

The biggest misconception is that a person must be completely helpless, bedridden, or unable to do anything at all. That is not the standard. Permanent total disability means...

DEFINITION 2026-03-27

return-to-work order

A written direction from a doctor, employer, or insurance carrier saying an injured worker can go back to the job - either full duty or with restrictions - is called a...

DEFINITION 2026-03-31

scheduled injury

The part that trips people up most is that a scheduled injury is not valued by how much pain it causes or how upsetting the loss feels. It is valued by a fixed schedule in the...

DEFINITION 2026-04-02

second injury fund

Money can be on the line when an employer or insurer tries to blame part of a worker's disability on an older condition instead of paying for the full impact of a new job...

DEFINITION 2026-03-27

temporary partial disability

A smaller paycheck after a work injury can cost a family rent money, grocery money, and the leverage needed to keep a claim alive. That is why this benefit matters right away:...

DEFINITION 2026-03-25

temporary total disability

This benefit often decides whether an injured worker can keep paying rent, utilities, and groceries while completely off the job. In workers' compensation, temporary total...

DEFINITION 2026-03-25

utilization review

You just got a letter that says more treatment is "under utilization review," and the plain-English meaning is simple: an insurance company or review vendor is checking whether...

DEFINITION 2026-03-29

vocational rehabilitation

Like using a detour when the main road is blocked, vocational rehabilitation helps a person find a workable path back to earning a living after an injury, illness, or...

DEFINITION 2026-03-26