If you are employed in Massachusetts and are involved in a workplace accident you may be covered by your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance. Your employer may face a significant fine if workers’ comp insurance has not been taken out. When you make a workers’ comp claim, you may be entitled to receive the full cost of any medical treatment related to injuries that you suffered while on the job and a portion of any lost wages while you cannot return to work. Employment in Massachusetts Nearly three and a half million individuals are employed somewhere in Massachusetts doing one of many hundreds of different jobs. Workers in Massachusetts earn quite a high average annual income of $60,840. Like many other states, there are far more office workers and workers who work in admin support type jobs than any other occupation. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistic’s state employment data, 15% of people with jobs in Massachusetts were working in office jobs, 9% were working as sales staff and 8% in food preparation and related jobs. There are many other different occupations, all of which should be covered by workers’ compensation in Massachusetts as there are very few exceptions to allowable coverage. Massachusetts Workers’ Compensation Guidelines for Employers Massachusetts employers must take out workers’ compensation insurance on behalf of their employees. There are very few exceptions to the requirement, which is a state law. In other states, employers do not have to worry about workers’ comp if they employ less than a certain number of employees, but this is not the case in Massachusetts. Massachusetts workers’ comp. covers reasonable medical treatment as long as there are genuine injuries or illnesses occurred while at work. An employee’s claim may also be compensated by awarding a proportion (usually not all) of any wages or other earnings after the first 5 days away from work. Employers who fail to take out insurance cover may be fined and even face criminal charges. Employees who are injured at work and find their employer was uninsured may be still able to recover compensation through the state’s Workers’ Compensation Trust Fund. The Department of Industrial Accidents (DIA) will still try and recover any compensation from the employer, even if uninsured. Employers in Massachusetts must acquaint themselves with the current regulations on workers’ compensation insurance and ensure that they have abided by the regulations or realize that they face stop work notices, fines and even loss of their license. Workers have access to the DIA’s database so they can make sure that they are working for an insured employer. Information about uninsured employers may lead to a DIA investigation. The few exceptions to workers’ comp coverage include domestic workers working for less than 16 hours a week, sole proprietors, partners and some directors and corporate executives depending on the amount of the company they own in shares. An Attorney Can Help With Your Workers’ Comp Claim Just dealing with injuries or illness at work can be enough for most workers. It seems unfair to have to struggle to obtain compensation when an employer is supposed to be insured. Unfortunately, workers’ compensation claims are not always straightforward and it may be necessary to use a workers’ comp attorney to provide assistance so a claim can proceed smoothly.
