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 What
is workers' compensation insurance?
Suppose
I am injured at work, what do I have to do to collect benefits?
What is workers' compensation insurance?
Workers' compensation insurance is a form of no-fault insurance
that most states require employers to carry. The main objective of the workers'
compensation program is to provide medical expense benefits, rehabilitative
benefits, and cash benefits to employees who are injured or disabled as a result
of a job-related illness or accident. Loss-of-income benefits are also payable
to a surviving spouse in the event of an employee's death. Currently, workers'
compensation laws cover approximately 90% of all employees in the United States.
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Suppose I am injured at work, what do I have
to do to collect benefits?
The workers' compensation program is based on the legal principle
of strict liability. This principle holds employers liable for any losses that
an employee suffers due to an occupational injury or disease, no matter who
was at fault. Therefore, employees do not have to prove their employers acted
negligently to collect benefits. The system is designed to reduce litigation
costs and to provide for the prompt payment of benefits to the injured worker.
If you have an accident or suffer from an illness that is job-related, you should
contact your employer and/or your benefits counselor to file a claim. It is
not necessary to hire a lawyer and undertake an expensive legal campaign to
collect workers' compensation benefits.
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