If you’re sick or injured as a direct result of a job, you may be eligible to receive workers compensation benefits. These benefits include medical benefits, care such as physical therapy, disability benefits and death benefits for your family if you die as a result of an injury or illness from the job.
Workers compensation insurance laws vary by state, and each state has its own workers comp laws and regulations. Here is a look at how Maryland workers compensation works.
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Who Must Buy Maryland Workers Comp Insurance
Every business in Maryland with one or more employees is required by law to carry workers comp insurance for their employees. And this includes businesses with part-time employees. There are only a few exceptions to the requirement.
For example, agricultural business owners with fewer than three workers or who make less than $15,000 a year are excluded from the workers comp requirement.
What Workers Comp Insurance Covers in Maryland
Maryland’s workers compensation law provides for the following types of workers compensation benefits.
Temporary total disability benefits. If an employee has an injury that prevents them from returning to work, they may be eligible for temporary total disability benefits. This compensation is equal to two-thirds of the person’s average weekly wage. It has a maximum benefit of the average Maryland weekly wage.
Temporary partial disability benefits. This type of benefit is temporary and can be paid out when an employee is able to perform part-time work duties at a lower wage. With temporary disability benefits, payments are 50% of the difference between the worker’s average weekly wage and the wage earned when the employee is partially disabled on a temporary basis.
Permanent total disability benefits. Some workers comp injuries are so serious that an employee is both permanently and totally disabled. Permanent and total disability benefits are available for these employees.
Permanent partial disability benefits. These workers comp benefits are for employees with some permanent impairment from a job-related injury or illness.
Medical benefits. The following medical services are covered under Maryland workers compensation:
- Medical care
- Surgical care
- Hospital and nursing services
- Medicine
- Crutches
- Artificial arms, feet, hands and legs and other prosthetic devices
Wage reimbursement benefits. Thanks to the Workers Compensation Act, wage reimbursement benefits are paid for an injured employee’s lost wages. Time spent going to the doctor at the employer’s request is also covered.
Vocational rehabilitation benefits. When an employee is unable to perform work because of a job-related accident or illness, they can enroll in vocational rehabilitation to get them working on the job again. These services include:
- Coordination of medical services
- Vocational assessment
- Vocational evaluation
- Vocational counseling
- Vocational rehabilitation plan development
- Vocational rehabilitation plan monitoring
- Vocational rehabilitation training
- Job development
- Job placement
Death Benefits. Weekly death benefits for the families of employees who die as a result of a work-related injury or illness are available. Funeral expenses are also available to surviving families.
Where to Buy Maryland Workers Comp Insurance
Businesses in Maryland can buy workers compensation coverage from any insurance company licensed to sell workers comp policies. Comparison shopping can help businesses find the lowest prices for workers comp coverage.
Alternatively, Maryland businesses can apply to become self-insured. Self-insured employers use their own funds to pay workers compensation claims. To be self-insured, you must get approval of the Workers Compensation Commission.
Largest Workers Comp Insurance Companies in Maryland
| Rank | Company |
|---|---|
| 1 | Chesapeake Employers’ Insurance |
| 2 | The Hartford |
| 3 | Erie Insurance |
| 4 | Travelers |
| 5 | AF Group |
| 6 | Zurich |
| 7 | Chubb |
| 8 | W. R. Berkley Corp |
| 9 | Liberty Mutual |
| 10 | AIG |
Maryland Workers Compensation Cost
Factors affecting the cost of Maryland workers compensation insurance include: employee job classifications, the company’s claims history and the company’s payroll.
The average workers compensation rates in Maryland are 24 cents per every $100 in payroll for the lowest risk employees and $13.89 per every $100 in payroll for the highest risk employees, according to Cerity.
How To File a Workers Compensation Claim in Maryland
If you have a workers comp injury or illness, you may file an employee’s claim with the Workers Compensation Commission. This employee claim form may be completed and submitted online. Printed employee claims forms can be obtained from your employer or by contacting the Maryland Workers Compensation Commission at (410) 864-5100. If you are calling outside the Baltimore metro area, you can call toll-free at (800) 492-0479.
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Injuries Covered Under Maryland Workers Compensation Law
Not all injuries are covered under workers compensation law in Maryland, even if the injury happened when the employee was on the job. In Maryland in order for the injury to be covered the accident must have been caused by an “accidental personal injury arising out of and in the course of employment,” according to the Maryland statute.
Let’s take a closer look at this statute. To begin with, the workers compensation law in Maryland only protects employees. A genuine employer and employee relationship must exist for an employee to have workers compensation protection.
If there is an employer and employee relationship, the next factor to consider is whether the injury was an accident. An accidental injury is one that happens by chance.
Exceptions to the accident requirement are occupational illnesses caused by the circumstances surrounding an employee’s job such as long term exposure to chemical solvents or exposure to asbestos.
For a workers compensation claim in Maryland, the injury must arise out of employment. This means the conditions under which the work is required to be performed by the employer causes the employee’s injury. Simply put, an employee is exposed to risk or danger because of their job requirements.
A workers comp claim in Maryland also must be in the course of employment, which focuses on the time, place and also the circumstances of the injury. If an employer was at work performing job duties when the injury took place, then the injury is considered to have arisen from the course of an employee’s employment.
If all the elements of the Maryland workers comp statute are in place, you may be entitled to workers compensation for your injuries and you shouldn’t hesitate to make a claim.
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