Workers compensation eligibility

Cases listed on the Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses are not necessarily eligible for workers compensation or other insurance benefits. Listing a case on the Log does not mean that the... 

The main goal of workers compensation laws is to compensate workers for injuries caused by accidents arising out of and in the course of employment. This goal creates several issues about eligibility What is an accident What is an injury What does out of and in the course of employment include There are many interpretations to these questions. 

If you are removed under MRP and you are also eligible for worker compensation or other compensation for lost wages, your employer s MRP benefits obligation is reduced by the amount that you actually receive from these other sources. This is also true if you obtain other employment during the time you are laid off with MRP benefits. 

Note to 1904.0 Recording or reporting a work-related injury, illness, or fatality does not mean that the employer or employee was at fault, that an OSHA rule has been violated, or that the employee is eligible for workers compensation or other benefits. 

Worker s compensation programs were introduced around the start of the twentieth century in various nations. These programs are a no-fault insurance system in which an injured worker receives medical and compensation benefits regardless of the causes of the job-related accident. If the injury or illness is job related, the injured worker receives medical benefits and, if eligible, temporary compensation for loss of earning power. In some cases, the injured worker may also receive permanent compensation and job retraining. In return, lawsuits against the employer, except under very limited circumstances, are not permitted. 

The process that classifies injuries as Nil, PPD, or PTD is imperfect because workers have the best information on the true cause and extent of their injuries, workers have the financial incentive to exaggerate injury severity, and firms have the financial incentive to classify injuries as unrelated to work or less severe than the injuries are. One study of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) found that a second evaluation team would reclassify one-fifth of eligibility rulings (Parsons 1984). Providers of WC face a more complex decision process than in the case of SSDI because injuries compensable under WC need to have occurred in the course of employment. 

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