What Is Workers Compensation

Workers compensation is the name given to the legal process designed to compensate employees for any injuries that they suffer while at work. Each state has adopted its own workers compensation law which says how injury claims are to be handled and creates a commission or board to settle disputes between employees and employers.

Workers comp is different from normal personal injury cases where one person hurts another person such as in a car accident. When compared to normal personal injury cases, workers comp is both good and bad.

Without workers compensation law , if you were hurt at work, you would have to prove that your employer was at fault in some way for your injuries. But with workers comp, it's easier. All you have to prove is that you were hurt at work. You do not have to prove that your employer was at fault.

Another good part of workers comp is that states require that employers (usually employers who have 2 or 3 or more employees) have workers comp insurance to pay work injury claims. This protects employees from insolvent employers who are not able to pay the compensation for work injuries.

The bad part of workers compensation law is that, in exchange for making it easier for workers to claim compensation by not having to prove the employers fault for the injury, the compensation paid to a worker for work injuries is set by law. This may reduce the amount of compensation to which an employee is entitled.

Beware that each state's workers compensation law has time limits and methods for reporting work injuries. If you are hurt at work, take action immediately. If you do not take action and do not comply with state law, you may lose your workers compensation claim.

This ebook is for general information only and may or may not be applicable to your situation. If you have any questions whatsoever, talk with a lawyer licensed in your state.

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