Workers’ Compensation, or Industrial Insurance, is a system to provide basic benefits to people injured on the job. The goal of the law is to provide sure and certain benefits to reduce the physical and economic suffering of people injured on the job.
Compensation is provided for employees injured on the job regardless of who is at fault. In exchange for this no-fault coverage, employers are granted immunity from separate civil liability. However, if a third party’s negligence causes or contributes to your work-related injury or illness, you may have a separate civil action against that person or company. A third party is someone other than your employer or a co-worker.
Most employers in this state pay workers’ compensation insurance premiums to the Department of Labor and Industries. If you are injured, the Department is responsible for approving your claim and paying benefits. Some employers are self-insured, which means they pay benefits directly and will manage your claim themselves or through a third-party administrator. The Department oversees the self-insured claims and may intervene to resolve disputes. You are entitled to the same benefits whether your employer is state funded or self-insured.
