When you suffer a workplace illness or injury, there’s an emotional, mental, and physical toll. Additional consequences also include missed work, lost wages, diminished future earnings, and comprehensive medical expenses. And, as many of our clients know first-hand, there might be even more complications after the incident that affect your ability to continue working in your chosen profession and supporting yourself and your family.
Ohio’s workers’ compensation system exists to ensure employees are protected. These benefits offer access to the care and time necessary to recover without having to deal with added financial stress and burden. Board-certified workers’ compensation attorney Jim Monast has decades of experience helping people just like you receive the best possible outcome in your case. Here, we share the basics of the system to help you learn more about your rights and options that may be available.
What Is Workers’ Compensation?
It’s a benefits system, much like health insurance, that’s activated by a job-related injury or illness. The system has two main components:
- Medical care. Benefits are available to cover all the expenses associated with the care an employee receives for a workplace injury. These costs range from doctor visits, hospital stays, medications, and surgeries to rehabilitation, home and vehicle modifications, and more.
- Wage replacement. When an injury forces the employee to miss work, it’s possible to obtain compensation to make up for lost income. These payments are typically made weekly and are based on several factors.
The Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC) is one of the largest state-funded workers' compensation systems in the U.S. Established in 1912, the BWC is “the exclusive provider of workers' compensation insurance in Ohio, serving more than 258,000 public and private employers” as of 2025.
Who’s Eligible for
Ohio Workers’ Compensation?
With few exceptions, all employees in our state have the right to receive these benefits if they sustain a job-related injury or illness.
State law mandates that all employers must carry a workers’ compensation policy to cover these situations. However, self-employed individuals and partners with no employees may be exempt from these laws. If you have questions about your eligibility, our team can help you understand if you meet the basic requirements for workers’ comp.
But here’s an important note: laws only cover individuals regarded as employees. And these benefits won’t cover injuries sustained at work in specific circumstances, which include:
- Fighting
- Violating stated company policy
- Being under the influence of drugs or alcohol
- Self-inflicting an injury
Types of Compensation Available to Injured Employees
Since every situation is unique, there are different options based on various factors. At Monast Law Office, we help people pursue settlements involving:
- Permanent Total Disability (PTD): A settlement for workers who are hurt so badly on the job that they can never return to any kind of work.
- Permanent Partial Disability (PPD): Payments to employees who have a lasting injury from their job but are still able to work in some way.
- Temporary Total Disability (TTD): This income supplement is for people who can’t work at all for a period of time while they recover from a job-related injury or illness.
- Living Maintenance: Support payments for employees who are taking part in an approved rehab program to help them get back to work.
- Wage Loss: Compensation to workers who are earning less money—or can’t find work—because of restrictions from a job-related injury.
- Scheduled Loss: A one-time payment for permanently losing the use of a specific body part, such as a hand, foot, or eye, as listed in Ohio law.
- Survivor Benefits: Compensation for the family or dependents of a worker who dies because of a job-related injury or illness.
How Do I Obtain Benefits After a Work-Related Injury?
When you suffer an injury or develop an illness related to your work, follow the appropriate steps promptly to ensure you can obtain benefits. Injured employees should:
- Seek medical attention immediately. No matter how minor your condition seems at first, protect your health—and your claim—by having a thorough examination and diagnosis by a qualified health care provider. It’s vital to get proper treatment right away and keep all medical records related to the incident.
- Report the injury to your employer. Any injury beyond a paper cut should be reported. Most workplaces have a policy requiring this. Then, you’ll likely have to complete a BWC “First Report of Injury” or FROI-1 form, which you can get from your employer or the BWC website. This provides a clear record of your workplace illness or injury.
- File a workers’ compensation claim with the BWC. Unless your employer is self-insured to issue workers’ compensation, the BWC handles all cases, so you’ll need to use its FROI-1 form to start the process. Technically, getting prompt medical care and submitting this paperwork is all you need for claim benefits, but your employer should offer more information about what to expect. Your claim can also be filed by them, your doctor, or another authorized representative.
The BWC will notify you within 28 days if the claim is approved or denied.
Turn to a Skilled Columbus Workers’ Compensation Attorney Serving All of Ohio’s Dedicated Employees
In most cases, you can pursue workers’ comp on your own. However, if there are questionable circumstances about your work status, you’re not sure of eligibility, your workers’ comp case is denied, or wonder if a lump sum settlement is the best solution, Jim and his team are ready to help.
We’ll outline your options clearly and fight to protect your rights to comprehensive medical care and proper workers’ compensation that are so vital to your physical, emotional, and financial recovery. Learn more by downloading our free book, The Workers’ Guide to Injury Compensation in Ohio. Then, call our office at (614) 515-2595 or use the contact form on this page to arrange a no-obligation consultation.
