One of your rights as an employee is to get compensation for work-related injuries or illness. Workers’ compensation insurance covers you for any injury or illness that arises during the course of employment. This type of insurance provides you weekly cash benefits and/or medical care for you as a worker such as medical expenses, ongoing treatment costs and lost income. There are specific guidelines and procedures you should follow to determine if your injury qualifies for compensation.

To get compensation, you have to notify your employer about the injury and file a claim. Once you collect workers’ compensation you must know that you will no longer be able to file suit against your employer. This is why workers’ compensation is also known as a no-fault system. The employee does not need to prove that fault against the employer. If the injuries are a result of the employee’s misconduct, losing his worker’s comp benefits is possible.

Below are the most common types of injuries and workplace illnesses that may qualify you for workers’ compensation:

1. Injuries as a result of work conditions. Hearing loss, allergies or exposures to different toxins are some of them.
2. Injuries as a result of manual labor due to repetitive motion.
3. Injuries due to emotional or mental stress.

The workers’ compensation insurance program varies by state and occupation, so it’s important to know what laws you have in your area.

The laws apply to two categories of employees that can benefit from this type of insurance: employees of the federal government and workers in specific types of industries.

For further information, you can check the appropriate office in your state. For that, you can check on the State Workers’ Compensation page of the U.S.Department of Labor’s website. If your injuries are severe and your claim is denied or you haven’t received the compensation you deserve, you may consider contacting an attorney.