If you are injured on the job in Kansas, you are generally entitled to workers compensation. Workers compensation benefits include medical treatment and wages. An employer in Kansas can self-insure employees or buy workers compensation insurance from a private insurance carrier. Some Kansas employers are exempt from carrying workers compensation insurance.
Medical Treatment
A worker injured on the job is entitled to receive medical treatment to relieve or cure the effects of the injury. An employer has the right to choose the physician who will treat you for a work-related injury. You are entitled to seek treatment from another doctor of your choice, but the employer is then liable only for $500 toward your medical bills. If you are not satisfied with the physician chosen by your employer, you have the right to apply to the Director of Workers Compensation for a change of physician. If you must travel more than five miles to see a physician chosen by your employer, you are entitled to mileage reimbursement (50 cents per mile). You may also receive transportation reimbursement if it is necessary to hire hire transportation to visit the physician.
Compensation
Kansas law requires that your employer pay you for wages lost because of an on-the-job injury. The employer must pay at least two-thirds of your gross weekly wage. The maximum wage an employer must pay for an injury was $546 in 2010, according to the Kansas Department of Labor. You are entitled to receive compensation benefits until your physician releases you back to work. The maximum compensation you are able to receive is $125,000 for a permanent total disability or $100,000 for a temporary disability or a permanent partial disability, according to the Kansas Department of Labor.
Exemptions
Kansas does not require every employer to carry workers compensation insurance. If you are an employer whose annual payroll gross is $20,000 or less, you are not required to purchase workers compensation insurance. Agricultural employers are not required to purchase workers compensation insurance.
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