The WID number is optional for now and will be for some time. Contact the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry Workers’ Compensation Division for more information.
WHAT INJURIES AND DISEASES ARE COVERED? Workers’ compensation insurance covers injuries and diseases that arise out of and in the course and scope of the employment. A work-related injury or disease is generally a physical condition that is caused, aggravated, precipitated or accelerated by the work or the work environment. Covered injuries can occur at the work place or outside the work place if the employee is on an assignment or is in transit between different work sites. Employees who experience a tragic event at work that results in post-traumatic stress disorder may also apply for worker’s compensation. New legislation (2018 Minn. Session Laws, Chapter 185) specifies that PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is presumed to be an occupational disease for certain occupations effective January 1, 2019. See the above statute for additional information. EMPLOYEES WHO ARE INJURED OUT OF STATE Employees who are hired in Minnesota by a Minnesota employer or generally work here and also work out of state are covered by the Minnesota workers’ compensation law. If a worker is employed in another state but is injured on the job in Minnesota, he or she can choose to be covered by the Minnesota workers’ compensation law or by the law in his or her resident state. A special provision for North Dakota employees limits the circumstances under which an employee hired in that state by a North Dakota employer could receive benefits under Minnesota law for injuries while temporarily working in Minnesota. Such an employee, who works in Minnesota fewer than 15 consecutive calendar days, or a maximum of 240 hours in a calendar year, will receive benefits under North Dakota law. WHAT TO DO WHEN AN EMPLOYEE IS INJURED When an employee is injured, it is the employer‘s responsibility – not the employee’s – to complete a First Report of Injury form. The employer must give the employee the “Minnesota Workers’ Compensation System Employee Information Sheet” at the time the employee is given a copy of the First Report of Injury Form. This form must be sent to the employer’s workers’ compensation insurance company so that it is received no later than 10 days after knowledge of the injury. The insurance company in turn must send the report to the Department of Labor and Industry so that it is received no later than 14 days after the injury if the injured worker is disabled more than three days. If the report is not filed within these deadlines, the employer or insurance company can be fined by the department. Self-insured employers have 14 days in which to file the report with the department. It is important that the report is filed promptly so the insurance company will have adequate time to investigate the claim. If the work-related injury is serious or results in a fatality, the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry must be notified by telephone within 48 hours. The First Report of Injury form also must be filed.
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