Workers’ compensation is a no-fault insurance system that provides benefits for workers who sustain injuries arising out of and in the course of employment. It also is one of the more mysterious programs around — people usually don’t know much about workers’ comp until they seek benefits. Even most employment lawyers have only a hazy familiarity with workers’ comp, as these cases are handled by a small and specialized cohort of the legal profession.
In some instances, workers’ compensation benefits may be available for discrimination, harassment, and bullying situations that cause physical or psychological injury, but eligibility standards vary from state to state.
One of the nation’s foremost authorities on workers’ comp is John Burton. His Workers’ Compensation Resources website (http://www.workerscompresources.com/) provides information and links on workers’ comp. Even better, the May/June 2007 edition of Burton’s Workers’ Compensation Policy Review features his excellent overview of workers’ comp, and for now it is freely available online via pdf: http://www.workerscompresources.com/WCPR_Public/Free%20Issues/MJ07.pdf.
Minding the Workplace 