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Workers Compensation Workers Compensation is a system of state laws which makes your employer pay you while you are unable to work if you are injured on the job, and makes your employer pay medical and chiropractic bills you have because of an injury or accident on the job. If you have a permanent disability because of an injury on the job, you are paid for your lost ability to earn money. There are benefits for widows of injured workers, and a lump sum death payment to your estate. The program also lets workers who cannot return to their prior work because of an on the job accident get help finding a new job that they can do. Workers' Compensation InsuranceWorkers compensation benefits (workmans comp or workers comp) are paid for by your employer, usually through a Workers compensation insurance company or self-insurance fund. In some cases, state funds are used to pay the benefits. The Workers compensation law does not pay you for the pain and suffering resulting from a work injury. Getting benefits does not depend on who caused the injury, unless it came about because the person who got hurt meant to injure himself or someone else, or because of his or her intoxication. The amount of benefits can be increased by 30% if your employer has violated a safety law. The Workers compensation law also prevents you from suing your employer in court for negligence, unless the employer has failed to obtain Workers compensation insurance. Coverage Under Kentucky Workers' CompensationMost jobs are covered by the Workers compensation law, including part-time work, from the moment you begin working. Farming or agricultural work is not covered by the Workers compensation system. A housekeeper employed by a person who has less than two such housekeepers is not covered. Riverboat and railroad workers, if they are covered by federal law, are also exempt, as are United States government employees. There may be other ways that you can recover for injuries if you are not covered by the Kentucky Workers Compensation system, depending on how the injury happened. An injury is covered by the Kentucky Workers Compensation law if it happens in the course and scope of your work and it happens while you are in the state of Kentucky. If you were hired in Kentucky and your job takes you to many states, such as in over-the-road truck driving, your injury may still be covered by Kentucky law even though your injury happened in some other state. If you were injured outside of the state but you work from a Kentucky place of business, or if you live and work mostly in Kentucky, the injury may be covered by Kentucky law. Attorneys
Scott M. Miller
Don C. Meade
Peter J. Naake
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