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Work & Unemployment

What the Fondo pays you while you are on work leave

Last reviewed: August 13, 2026 — VerifiedFondo del Seguro del Estado

In short

If your Fondo case is compensable and the doctor puts you on leave, you receive a weekly payment called transitory disability compensation. The CFSE describes it as two thirds of your wage, but publishes two different ranges on its own site: its benefits page says a $60 minimum and $200 maximum per week for up to 364 weeks, and its FAQ says between $30 and $100 per week for up to 312 weeks. There is no way to tell from the site which is current, so confirm your amount at the Compensation Information Office. Payment arrives by check or through the Worker’s Compensation Card (TCT).

External link

Go to the official site

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www.cfse.pr.gov

What is it?

Transitory disability compensation is the money the Fondo pays you for the time you cannot work because of an occupational injury. It is not a salary and your employer does not pay it: it is compensation from the workers’ insurance system, and you only receive it if your case was found compensable and the CFSE doctor placed you on leave. It is different from permanent disability compensation, which is assessed at the end of treatment and cannot be combined with this. One timing detail is worth knowing from the start: while the case is under investigation no compensation is paid, but if it is ultimately found compensable, payment is retroactive to the filing date.

Who can do it?

You receive compensation if your case is compensable and the primary doctor assigned by the CFSE determines you should be on leave. The person who decides whether you have a disability is that doctor, not you and not your employer. The CFSE further clarifies that no compensation is paid while the case is under investigation, and that if it is later found compensable, payment is retroactive to the filing. Signing Form CFSE-392 is part of the deal: with it you commit not to work while on leave.

Requirements

Documents you need

Cost

This procedure has no cost.

Step by step

  1. Step 1: Confirm the doctor put you on leave in writing

    The determination is recorded on Form CFSE-395, which states the length of the leave and the return date. Give a copy to your employer as soon as possible. Without that medical determination there is no compensation, however unable to work you feel: the person who evaluates and determines disability is the primary doctor the CFSE assigned to you.

  2. Step 2: Ask for your exact amount and do not assume it

    This is where care is needed. The CFSE describes the compensation as 66⅔% of your wage, but publishes two different ranges on its own site. Its benefits page and its rights-and-obligations page say a $60 minimum and $200 maximum per week, for up to 364 weeks. Its FAQ says between $30 and $100 per week, for up to 312 weeks. Both versions are the CFSE’s and the site does not indicate which supersedes which. Ask for your amount at the Compensation Information Office before committing to a payment or a rent counting on it.

  3. Step 3: Activate the TCT or wait for the check

    The CFSE pays by check or through the Worker’s Compensation Card, which works like a debit card, allows withdrawals and purchases, and is issued automatically when the leave begins. You have to activate it when you receive it. If you live outside Puerto Rico, the CFSE publishes that payments are issued by check only.

  4. Step 4: If the payment does not arrive, go to the Compensation Information Office

    It is the office the CFSE names for checking payment status, and all you need is photo ID. It is also where a lost check is claimed, especially if you live outside Puerto Rico, and where you update your address with the Change of Address Form, for which they ask for a water, electricity or phone bill. If you lost the TCT, report it immediately at the nearest office to cancel it and request a new one.

  5. Step 5: Mind your appointments: missing one has consequences and a window to fix it

    If you miss a medical appointment, you have ten days to justify the absence at the Medical Control Office with the Absence Justification Form. It is a short window and it is the route the CFSE publishes for not losing continuity in the case.

Where to do it

Compensation is not requested separately: it comes out of the case you already filed. Questions about payments, lost checks, the TCT and address changes are handled at the CFSE’s Compensation Information and Citizen Assistance Office. The phone number the CFSE publishes for injured workers is 1-855-ELFONDO (1-855-353-6636).

How long it takes

Check the current processing time with the official agency.

What to do if something goes wrong

If the amount you receive does not match what you expected, bear in mind that the CFSE itself publishes two different ranges: $60 to $200 weekly for up to 364 weeks on its benefits page, and $30 to $100 weekly for up to 312 weeks in its FAQ. Before assuming there was an error, ask at the Compensation Information Office which range applies to your case. If you have been paid nothing and your case is under investigation, the CFSE publishes that no compensation is paid until the case is found compensable, and that payment is then retroactive to the filing date. If you disagree with your disability not being recognized or with compensation not being paid, you have 30 days to appeal to the Industrial Commission, which is a separate process with its own guide. If you are discharged and then get worse, you can request that the case be reopened up to three years after discharge. PRFácil does not process CFSE payments or look up files.

Common mistakes

  • Counting on an exact amount taken from a single CFSE page, when the site itself publishes two different ranges.
  • Waiting for payment while the case is under investigation, without knowing that nothing is paid at that stage and that it is retroactive afterwards.
  • Not activating the Worker’s Compensation Card when it arrives.
  • Working while on leave after signing the CFSE-392.
  • Missing a medical appointment and letting the ten days to justify it pass.
  • Not updating your address and losing the check, especially if living outside Puerto Rico.
  • Confusing this compensation with permanent disability compensation, which is assessed at the end and cannot be combined with it.

Frequently asked questions

How much exactly will they pay me?

The CFSE describes it as 66⅔% of your wage, but publishes two different caps: $60 to $200 weekly for up to 364 weeks on its benefits page, and $30 to $100 weekly for up to 312 weeks in its FAQ. We cannot tell you which applies because the CFSE does not indicate which supersedes which. Ask at the Compensation Information Office before counting on that amount.

Who decides whether I have a disability?

The primary doctor assigned to you by the CFSE. They are the one who evaluates and determines whether your condition produces a disability, and who decides whether you stay on leave or return to work.

I was discharged and got worse. Is that the end?

No. The CFSE allows you to request that the case be reopened up to three years after being discharged with a disability. If there is new medical evidence, you could receive additional transitory or permanent disability compensation.

Can I collect this compensation and permanent disability compensation at the same time?

No. The CFSE publishes that permanent partial disability compensation cannot be combined with this compensation. They are two different stages of the same case.

Official sources

These are the government pages this guide is based on.

Last verified

August 13, 2026

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