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Compensation


Compensation insurance covers injuries to workers while on the job. Not every state has compensation, but for those that do, compensation is the primary insurance coverage when injuries have been verified and confirmed by the state compensation agencies. The only insurance that is ever primary to compensation is no fault.

Though the amount of time for an employee to report a claim as being compensation differs from state to state, most states require compensation to be claimed within two weeks of the injury, though some states will stretch it out to two years if a later injury or occurrence can be determined to be related to an earlier event. Employers have a short window for commenting on a compensation claim once it's been reported by the employee, but are also obligated to file a report even if the employee doesn't mention it, if they knew about it.

The initial compensation forms are an addition to the regular registration process. They will ask for details of the accident, including the where, when, and how the incident occurred. An employee who gets injured because of something they did that didn't quite follow the rules will not necessarily be rejected by the compensation board if the employee wasn't intentionally doing something that could cause them harm. However, there are times when a compensation judge will rule employees liable to pay on a percentage of their claims. At that point, if the employee is covered under health insurance, that percentage can be billed to them. Otherwise, medical facilities can not send a bill to any person that claims compensation for any reason whatsoever, though they can send a letter asking for more information if the need arises.

In every state that has mandatory compensation laws, coverage must be provided by large employers. In some states, every employer has to provide some sort of coverage. Many employers fund compensation coverage themselves so they don't have to contract it to compensation insurance carriers. Either way, it's their responsibility for making sure they cover all bills in some fashion.

If you ever have any problems with your compensation claims, whether it's with your employer or a medical facility, contact your local workers compensation board.


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