Workers’ Compensation

If you are injured at work, notify your employer immediately and get medical care. Tell the doctor that you were hurt on the job. The employer should file a workers’ compensation claim with its insurance company and you should get a copy of the report.

Depending on your injury and whether or not it affects your ability to work, you may be eligible for one or more workers’ compensation benefits, including:

medical benefits
wage replacement benefits (known as temporary disability benefits)
permanency benefits
vocational rehabilitation
death benefits – these may be available to a worker’s spouse or family members if the worker dies from a work injury

In the Workers’ Compensation Division of the Vermont Department of Labor website you can:

My employer won’t file my claim

If your employer refuses to file a workers’ compensation claim for you, you can file it yourself. You should file the form as soon as possible. If you delay you may lose your benefits.

The Department of Labor has the form you need to fill out and file. It’s called an Employee’s Notice of Injury and Claim for Compensation.

Make a copy of the form for yourself. Then mail the form to:

State of Vermont Department of Labor
Workers’ Compensation Division
P.O. Box 488
Montpelier, Vermont 05601-0488

Retaliation is illegal

Your employer can’t retaliate against you for submitting a worker’s compensation claim. For example, it’s illegal to fire you, reduce your pay or your hours, or demote or fail to promote you because you made a claim. If your employer discriminates against you or retaliates against you because of your workers’ compensation claim, contact the Vermont Attorney General’s office.

Find out how to file a workers’ compensation retaliation complaint against an employer on the Vermont Attorney General’s website.

At Legal Services Vermont and Vermont Legal Aid, we cannot help Vermonters with workers’ compensation. You can contact the Vermont Bar Association’s Lawyer Referral Service to hire a lawyer to talk to.