Wyoming has one of the highest rates of work related injuries and deaths in the United States. These injuries can occur at
coal mine sites, uranium mine sites and on drilling rigs and oil wells. Many people are also injured or killed in construction
work injuries throughout the State of Wyoming. While large industrial injuries are more common, sometimes people get hurt
working at warehouses or even grocery stores. Sometimes people get hurt in work related truck or car collisions driving to or
from work. Collisions that occur driving to and from work or even driving for work are common ways people can get hurt.
However you get hurt working in Wyoming, the first thing you need to make sure your legal rights are protected is report it
to your boss or supervisor. Most employers in Wyoming, especially large corporations, know that once an employee comes to
them with a work related injury, the employer has to report the injury to Wyoming Workers Compensation which is now part of
Wyoming Workforce Services.
If you are injured at work, you are may be entitled to compensation through the Wyoming Workers Compensation system. Your
employer likely pays a fee to the Wyoming Workers Compensation system so that when you are hurt, your medical bills will be
paid and you can claim a portion of your wages paid if your injury causes you to miss work. Workers Compensation is similar to
insurance. It is well funded and capable of providing some assistance with medical expenses and other benefits.
Sometimes, your employer may not want to report your injury to the State of Wyoming because they are worried their rates
for workers compensation may increase. This is not legal or appropriate. If this happens, you can report
the injury yourself using the report of injury form attached here and mail it yourself or contact a lawyer and ask the
lawyer to help you fill out the form.
There are many other problems that injured workers face when trying to get through the workers compensation system. Among
the more common problems is that the Wyoming Workers Compensation claims analyst who is assigned to your claim may not
understand how the injury occurred or Wyoming Workforce Services may deny your claim for a variety of other reasons. If
they do and they send you a letter called a “Final Determination”, you are entitled to a hearing to explain your claims.
If this happens, you are also entitled to have an attorney represent you and the State of Wyoming will pay the fees for
the lawyer to represent you before and during the hearing. Wyoming workers compensation hearings involve complex legal
and often medical issues and it is important that injured workers obtain a lawyer to help them with they claim and the
hearing process.
Other issues can come up when you have a workers compensation case. These issues include complications with regard to
various other benefits that are available for injured workers. Injured workers can get an “impairment rating” after a
certain point in their case. In some instances, the impairment rating is too low and a low impairment rating can result
in a reduction in the amount of money a worker receives for their injury related disability. Any time Wyoming Workforce
Services sends out a Final Determination letter, the injured worker is entitled to an attorney and the State of Wyoming
will pay for the legal fees of the attorney as well as any expenses the attorney may have. When in doubt about your
legal rights in a Workers Compensation case, contact an attorney.
People often find that they need help understanding their legal rights when they are hurt when working. When you are
injured at work, you may have several different legal options to help with your injuries in addition to or instead of
workers compensation. There are many different possibilities so if any part of getting compensated for a work injury
seems confusing, then it may be time to talk to an attorney who knows the Wyoming Workers Compensation system.
In some instances when you are hurt on the job, Wyoming workers compensation may be the only option for you to get
compensated for your injury. There are, however, other instances when you may have legal rights against others who are
responsible for causing your injury. If you think that is possible, you may want to contact an attorney to find out
about the rights you may have.