Workers Compensation Information
Workers Compensation Insurance
For Companies In Somerset, Glasgow, Richmond & Surrounding Areas In Kentucky
Workers compensation laws were created to ensure that employees who are injured on the job are provided with fixed monetary awards. This eliminates the need for litigation and creates an easier process for the employee. It also helps control the financial risks for employers since many states limit the amount an injured employee can recover from an employer.
Workers Compensation Insurance is designed to help companies pay these benefits. As a protection for employees, most states require that employers carry some form of Workers Compensation Insurance. Workers Compensation Insurance is not health insurance. Workers Compensation is designed specifically for injuries sustained on the job.
In most states, if you have employees, you are required to carry Workers Compensation coverage. Even in non-mandatory states, it can be a very good idea, particularly if you have many employees, or if they are engaged in hazardous activities.
Do I need workers compensation insurance?
Employers have a legal responsibility to their employees to make the workplace safe. However, accidents happen even when every reasonable safety measure has been taken.
To protect employers from lawsuits resulting from workplace accidents and to provide medical care and compensation for lost income to employees hurt in workplace accidents, in almost every state, businesses are required to buy workers compensation insurance. Workers compensation insurance covers workers injured on the job, whether they're hurt on the workplace premises or elsewhere, or in auto accidents while on business. It also covers work-related illnesses.
Workers compensation provides payments to injured workers, without regard to who was at fault in the accident, for time lost from work and for medical and rehabilitation services. It also provides death benefits to surviving spouses and dependents.
Each state has different laws governing the amount and duration of lost income benefits, the provision of medical and rehabilitation services and how the system is administered. For example, in most states there are regulations that cover whether the worker or employer can choose the doctor who treats the injuries and how disputes about benefits are resolved.
Workers compensation insurance must be bought as a separate policy. Although in-home business and business owners policies (BOPs) are sold as package policies, they don't include coverage for workers' injuries.
Common Workers Comp Insurance Questions:
What is Workers Compensation Insurance Coverage?
When someone sustains an occupational injury, they could face significant personal challenges, such as:
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Medical bills caused by emergency treatment and ongoing care
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Temporary or permanent disabilities that require rehabilitation and maintenance
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Lost income resulting from their inability to continue to work
All these challenges could create a lot of financial insecurity for the victim. Because the injury occurred on the employer’s time, then it is the employer’s workers compensation insurance that can provide the necessary financial assistance.
Who Does Workers Compensation Insurance Cover?
Workers compensation insurance has two primary objectives:
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Having a policy frees the employer from liability for employee accidents in most cases. By agreeing to take workers compensation benefits, the employee waives the right to sue the employer over their injury, except in certain circumstances.
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The employee will be able to use their workers compensation benefits as supplementary income throughout their recovery period. Benefits will help replace the money lost from their inability to work in their normal capacity.
When Is Workers Compensation Insurance Required?
All employers in Kentucky must carry workers compensation insurance, with limited exceptions. Both full- and part-time employees qualify for coverage.
How Does Workers Compensation Insurance Work?
There are numerous injuries that might qualify an employee for workers compensation, including:
Depending on the employee’s qualifications for coverage, workers compensation might provide:
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Income assistance
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Medical benefits
The employee must receive verification of their injury from a physician (of their choice) and file the appropriate documentation with their workers’ compensation claim. At this time, the insurer will follow Kentucky’s workers’ compensation guidelines to determine both the value of benefits and the length of time for which the recipient will qualify for assistance.