What is Maryland Worker’s Compensation?

The state of Maryland provides protection for workers who are hurt while working. In the past, the law required lawsuits to be filed against the employers however, the legal process proved to be too time consuming and expensive and often no benefits were paid to the injured workers. For this reason, the government passed the Maryland worker’s compensation laws to resolve the problem.

Workers’ compensation is a type of insurance which all employers are required to provide their employees to protect them from work-related injuries. The employer is required to pay for this insurance and the employee is not required to make any contribution to the cost of the compensation. The company can choose the insurance carrier for their employees and the insurance company will pay weekly cash benefits or medical care, or both to the injured worker, as directed by Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commission.

What Injuries Are Covered by Maryland Workers’ Compensation?

Not all injuries are covered by the workers’ compensation law. Even if the injury happened in the workplace, if certain criteria are not met, the claim might be denied.

In Maryland, the injury will be covered if the harm suffered by the employee was caused by an accidental injury as a result of and in the course of their employment. That means that just because an employee is hurt while working or at work, it is not automatically enough for the insurance benefits to apply.

Who Are Eligible for Workers’ Compensation?

Only official employees are eligible for workers’ compensation. A legitimate employer-employee relation must be established before any claim is accepted. Some businesses do not directly hire employees and may only have independent contractors. People who are working with the company in this category may elect to be covered if they want workers’ compensation insurance.

How to File a Claim?

To file a claim for Maryland workers’ compensation, you must fill out a form and submit it to the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commission.

In order to access the form, you must create an account at the commission’s official site and us the claim form available on the site. You can go to the login page and access the claim form here – https://services.wcc.state.md.us/members/WccLogin.asp. Other documents and guides in filing a claim can also be found on the site.

What Other Benefits May Apply?

Aside from Maryland workers’ compensation benefits, an employee may be eligible for disability benefits, especially if the injury is severe.

Temporary total disability is when the injury results in a disability that prevents them from returning to work at all. That means the person is totally disabled for work purposes. The employee may receive temporary total disability payments.

There is also the temporary partial disability benefit which may be provided when an injured employee is not completely disabled during the process of recovery. It is intended to help the worker if their income is reduced because they can only perform limited or part time duties.