What is workers compensation?
Each state has its own workers’ compensation laws to handle claims from employees who are injured on the job. These laws are strict liability – fault and negligence by the employer are not considered in order to collect benefits. Punitive damages are not available to the employee. The legal defenses available in a civil action such as comparative negligence and assumption of the risk are not available to the employer in workers’ compensation. However, the injury or illness has to be incurred in the course of employment in order for the workers’ compensation system to provide benefits to the injured worker. Workers’ compensation is generally the excluysive remedy for an employee’s injuries or illnesses arising out of the course of employment. It is typically required by the state for every employee – although state law may provide for specific exemptions for officers/owners, small companies (those with three/four/five or fewer employees), domestic workers, farm hands, and independent co
Worker’s Compensation provides benefits to employees who sustain injuries by accident arising out of and in the course of their employment. In the State of Indiana employers are required by Law to provide Worker’s Compensation coverage for their employees either by purchasing coverage through an insurance company or by becoming self-insured. At Indiana University, we are self-insured for Worker’s Compensation, which means we administer and pay the claims from our own funds. The Risk Management Department is responsible for processing these claims which includes review of claims, payment of benefits and denials of claims.
Workers’ compensation benefits are laws that are dedicated to providing money and medical benefits to an employee who has an injury as a result of an accident, injury or occupational disease incurred at work. The laws are specifically designed to protect workers and their dependents against the hardships from injury or death arising out of the work environment. The Worker’s Compensation laws benefit both the employee and employer. The employee receives money (usually on a weekly or biweekly basis) and medical benefits in exchange for forfeiting the common law right to sue the employer. By contrast, the employer benefits by receiving immunity from court actions against them by the employee in exchange for accepting liability that is limited and determined. WHO PAYS WORKER’S COMPENSATION BENEFITS? All employers are required by Minnesota Statutes, section 176.181, subdivision 2, to either purchase workers’ compensation insurance to provide benefits to their employees for work-related inju
The Workers’ Compensation law requires most employers to provide benefits to eligible employees who have injuries arising out of and in the course of employment. When a worker is off work on the company doctor’s orders due to a work injury, the employer is required to pay healing period (HP) or total temporary disability (TTD) benefits. HP/TTD benefits are payable until the workers is returned to work, or reaches maximum medical improvement (MMI). If the worker is returned to work part-time or temporarily in a position with lower pay, the employer must pay partial weekly workers’ compensation benefits in addition to the part-time or reduced pay. These benefits are known as temporary partial disability benefits (TPD), and are payable until the worker reaches MMI, or is returned to full pay if that happens before MMI. The employer must also pay medical benefits for care related to the injury. The employer has the right to tell you where you will go for your medical care for the work inju
