Under the Massachusetts Workers’ Compensation Act (M.G.L. c. 152) employers are required to purchase and carry workers’ compensation insurance. This insurance policy covers employees who are injured on the job. The insurance coverage offers benefits to injured workers that will cover:
- A portion of lost wages if the employee’s work-related accident precludes them from working and earning wages. These are disability benefits;
- The cost of reasonable and medically necessary treatment of a work-related injury. These benefits are known as medical benefits;
- Travel to and from doctor’s appointments for treatment of your work injury or injuries;
- Loss of function caused by an injury suffered on the job; and,
- Scarring and disfigurement that results from an accident at work.
How Do I Verify My Employer Has Workers’ Compensation Insurance?
Employers are required by law to post a notice identifying their workers' compensation insurance company somewhere in the work place. If a notice is not posted or cannot be found, you should ask your employer. If your employer refuses to tell you who their insurance company is, you can always contact the Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents to check if their employer has an active workers’ compensation insurance policy. The DIA’s website also has a search engine that allows workers to verify workers’ compensation insurance coverage for employers operating in Massachusetts. However, the search engine results are not always up to date, so we always recommend contacting the DIA or a Massachusetts workers’ compensation attorney to confirm that your employer has the proper insurance.
What If Your Employer Does Not Have Workers’ Compensation Insurance?
Although the laws in Massachusetts require employers to carry workers’ compensation insurance, some do not always have the proper insurance. If your employer did not have workers’ compensation insurance at the time of your work accident, there is the Massachusetts Workers' Compensation Trust Fund that would stand in the place of the workers’ compensation insurance. This Trust Fund was created by a specific statute in Massachusetts (M.G.L. c. 152 § 65) and is available for employees who were hurt on the job and whose employer did not have insurance at the time of the accident. The Trust Fund offers the same benefits available to an injured worker.
