How a workers' comp claim works, from the first report to a decision

The short version

Every state runs its own system, but almost every claim follows the same path. You tell your employer. The employer reports to its insurer. You get medical care from a doctor the system allows. The insurer accepts or denies the claim, and if it is denied there is a way to ask a judge or board to decide.

The guides in this set walk that path one step at a time and link each step to your state's agency. They are general information, not advice about your own claim.

What this guide set answers

• 01

  How do you get workers' comp?

  The claim path from first report to decision, with a table linking each step to your state's agency.

• 02

  What is a workers' compensation claim, and who files what?

  The worker, the employer and the insurer each have a form. Which is which, cited to the US Department of Labor and state agencies.

• 03

  How long do you have to file a workers' comp claim?

  Reporting and filing deadlines by state, each one cited to the statute and dated.

• 04

  How do I check my workers' comp claim status?

  Where each state lets you look up a claim, and what the status words mean.

• 05

  What does workers' comp cover?

  Medical care, wage loss and the other benefit types, and the injuries that are usually covered.

• 06

  Who pays for workers' compensation?

  Employers, through insurance or self-insurance. Workers do not pay premiums.

Each answer is general information about how the system works. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create a lawyer-client relationship. For your own claim, talk to a lawyer licensed in your state.