You don’t go to work to wind up in a hospital, wondering how you are going to pay the bills and keep your family fed. Most employees in Maine should be covered by their employer’s workers’ compensation insurance which is designed to help meet the costs of medical treatment and lost earnings for any employees who have genuinely become ill or injured while at work. There are a few exceptions and not every employer abides by the rules, so you will need to find out what you need to do to file a workers’ comp claim. Talk to an attorney if confused or frustrated. Employment in Maine Maine is not a densely populated state, but there are still nearly 600,000 people employed in one sort of job or another, according to data held by the U.S. Bureau of Statistics. The median annual income in Maine was recorded as $43,260 in 2015. Office work is the most common type of employment in Maine, as it is in so many other states. 15% of Maine’s workers work either in an office of some type, or in administrative support positions. 8% of the total workforce work in sales related employment, a little fewer work in food preparation and serving such as fast food restaurants, and 6% work in healthcare or technical occupations. Fast food workers and similar occupations are some of the least well paid in Maine, but should still be legally covered by workers’ comp insurance which their employers must take out. Responsibility for Workers Comp Insurance by Maine Employers In Maine, nearly all employers are required to take out insurance to cover them in the event that one of their employees gets sick while on the job or has an accident and becomes injured, without regard to the employee's level of responsibility for the injury or illness. Workers’ compensation insurance is the main form of cover for anyone employed in Maine, whether they are full or part time, temporary or permanent. Compensation payments are either made by the employer directly or by the employer’s insurer. Payment amounts are set by the Maine state government. Employees cannot seek a private lawsuit against their employer if they are covered by workers’ compensation insurance. In a small number of cases, where an employer has not bothered to take out insurance, then there may be an opportunity for a private lawsuit the employer if illegally not covering their employee(s) and also may be fined and charged with a criminal offense. Additional Workers’ Compensation Insurance Provisions in Maine Employers may be exempt from providing insurance for their employees in a small number of cases. The main exemptions are employers that employ agricultural or aquaculture workers. As Maine employers must take out insurance with a private carrier in most cases, there may be reluctance to insure a new employer whose workplace appears to be in a high risk of injury. If the employer cannot obtain insurance, it may apply to the Maine High Risk Pool. This is administered by the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) although the insurer remains a private insurance company. Are There Obstacles in the Way of Your Claim? Get an Attorney! If a claim has been denied, or you find that your employer claims that there is no cover to compensate you yet you suspect that this is not true, talk to an experienced workers’ comp attorney about your case. The attorney will explain your rights, assess the circumstances of your accident and the evidence you have available and help you submit your claim correctly.
