Workers’ Compensation Benefits Timeline - The First Two Weeks After Injury

Many people wish that the workers’ compensation system would move faster, but they overlook the fact that things move at a pretty rapid pace during the first two weeks after your injury. There are deadlines that need to be met, milestones that dictate when you’ll be eligible for certain benefits and actions you’ll definitely want to take during those first 14 days. In today’s blog, we take a closer look at the first two weeks after a work injury and explain what this timeline means to you.

The First 14 Days After A Minnesota Work Injury

Let’s take a closer look at some key days during the first two weeks after your work injury:

Days 1-3 – You are not eligible for wage loss benefits until you’ve been injured for at least three days, meaning you’re not going to get paid if your injury only keeps you out of work for the rest of your shift or for the next day. Day 1 of your waiting period begins on the first day of your disability, not the day that you were injured. If you were injured Monday afternoon and missed the rest of the workday, Tuesday would be the first day of your three-day waiting period.

Day 4 – If you’re still disabled by Day 4, you become eligible for wage replacement benefits, which will be paid at two-thirds of your average weekly wage. Wage replacement benefits will only be paid from Day 4 onward, you will not be paid wage loss benefits for the three-day waiting period (unless Day 10 conditions are met, see below).

Day 10 – If you’re still disabled by Day 10, you will be retroactively granted wage loss benefits for the initial three-day waiting period.

Day 14 – You have 14 days from the date of your injury to report your injury to your employer. We recommend doing this a lot sooner, preferably the same day the injury occurred, but you need to do this within the first 14 days, otherwise your claim can be legally denied for being reported too late.

Day 14 – If you have missed more than three days of work with your injuries, your employer must file a First Report of Injury by Day 14.

One of the biggest misconceptions about the three-day waiting period in Minnesota is that you aren’t eligible for any injury benefits until you’ve missed three days of work. If you are injured at work, you are immediately eligible for compensation for medical expenses. You do not need to (nor should you) wait three days to seek out medical care for your injuries. Your employer and their insurance company is required to cover all reasonable medical expenses stemming from a work-related injury.

For example, let’s say you cut your hand pretty badly at work on Thursday and needed to get 14 stitches. You sought medical care and then were unable to work on Friday, but returned to your job on your next scheduled workday, which was Monday. Although you would be ineligible for wage loss benefits, you could file a workers’ compensation claim that reimburses you for the medical expenses you incurred as a result of receiving the stitches. There is no waiting period when it comes to work-related medical claims.

As you can see, there’s a lot of things to keep track of during the first 14 days after your work injury, and this time also tends to be the most hectic for the worker. You’re in the most pain, you’re adapting to time away from work and you’re calculating how this situation could impact your family’s finances. The prospect of pursuing an injury claim on top of all this can be anxiety inducing, and if it’s not done correctly, you could be leaving a lot of money on the table.

Instead of wondering if you’ll figure it out, trust an experienced professional to deliver results. Dean and the team at Margolis Law Firm can help you get the benefits you deserve and ensure all deadlines are met during this chaotic time in your life. One oversight can prove incredibly costly, so outsource your claim to a team of professionals who are familiar with these deadlines and the benefit opportunities available to you. For more information on how we can help with your workers’ compensation claim, connect with Dean and the team at Margolis Law Firm today at (952) 230-2700.