As per Section $9-621$ of the Labor & Employment Article of the Maryland Annotated Code, employers in Maryland are required to pay their employees. In case an employee is temporarily and completely disabled due to an accidental personal injury or an occupational disease, the employer or its insurer must pay the employee a compensation amount that is equal to two$-$thirds of their average weekly wage. The workers' compensation system is a trade$-$off between the benefits given to employees and the costs paid by employers. The $2/3$ ratio is fair because it's close to what the claimant would take home with taxes. Employees are paid $2/3$ of their gross weekly wages tax$-$free when calculating temporary total benefits. It also helps to ensure that employees are not out of work for a long time and that employers are not responsible for total wages while employees are out of work.