In the state of Maryland, employers are required by law to provide worker’s compensation insurance to all employees within the company. In other words, worker’s compensation, also known as workman’s comp insurance, is compulsory in Maryland. Employers may be self-insured or provide this insurance via a competitive state fund or a private insurance company.

Agricultural Employers and Worker’s Compensation

There are special rules regarding worker’s compensation for agricultural employers. Those employers with three or more full-time employees or an annual payroll of $15,000 or more for full-time employees must carry this insurance. The coverage is not required for office workers and independent contractors. Domestic help making over $750 or more per quarter is covered. Also, if a domestic worker does not make up to that amount, but wishes to get on the insurance with the agreement of the employer, he or she can get worker’s compensation insurance.

Worker’s Compensation Insurance and Medical Benefits

Employees covered by worker’s compensation insurance receive full medical benefits without any monetary or time limits. The employee can choose which doctors to visit. However, employers can also make this choice for the employee.

Worker’s comp also allows for what’s called temporary total disability or TTD. In these cases, the employee gets temporary payments based on a percentage of his or her wages, with a cap on weekly payments.

Also, worker’s comp includes permanent total disability (PTD) and permanent partial disability (PPD). Both of these are also based on a percentage of the employee’s wages and are subject to a maximum payment amount per week. These payments are received for the whole duration of the disability.

There are also scheduled awards given to employees on top of the TTD benefits once those benefits are terminated. These special awards may be given in the event of disfigurement, mutilations, and other severe cases. The insurance also covers physical rehabilitation benefits and vocational rehab benefits, as well as occupational hearing loss benefits.

In the event of death, worker’s compensation insurance provides death benefits to the spouse (and children) of the deceased, calculated based on a percentage of the employee’s wages. This may also include funeral and burial allowances.

In the event of an on-the-job accident that results in disability lasting three days or more, the employer is required to report the incident to the Worker’s Compensation Commission on a form called the “First Report of Injury” within 10 days of the accident. This can be done verbally or in writing, but the latter is preferred. The insurance carrier and the Department of Labor, Licensing & Regulation, Division of Labor and Industry must also be made aware of the incident. For Maryland employers, this form can be filed online.

If an employee needs to file a worker’s compensation claim, called an Employee’s Claim, he must get the forms from his employer and submit them to the Worker’s Compensation Commission. These forms are also available online to workers.