Learn Center · Visual Explainers
The whole system — in seven pictures.
Some ideas land faster drawn than described. These seven drawings are the entire workers' comp system at a glance — each one linked to the guide that goes deep. Every drawing is described in text too, so nothing here depends on your eyes.
1. The journey — every claim walks this road
Details differ by state; the shape doesn't. Seven stages, and the early ones decide the late ones.
The seven stages of a workers' comp claim
A drawn road winding from lower left to upper right with seven numbered stops: Injury on day zero, Report it, Medical care, Claim filed, Decision, MMI and rating, and Resolution, marked with a flag. The first three stops are amber — they happen in days and carry the rest.
1
INJURY
day zero
2
REPORT IT
in writing
3
MEDICAL CARE
“this happened at work”
4
CLAIM FILED
the paperwork
5
DECISION
accept / deny
6
MMI & RATING
measurement day
RESOLUTION
award / settle
The first three stops happen in days — and they carry the rest.
The full walkthrough, stage by stage: Start Here — the seven guides .
2. The two clocks — both start on day zero
Two deadlines run at the same time, and they are wildly different lengths. Missing the short one is the most common self-inflicted wound in workers' comp.
The two deadlines compared
Two drawn clocks hang from the same day-zero line. Clock one is small with an urgent amber wedge: report to your employer, often thirty days or less. Clock two is large with a slow, nearly full sweep: file the formal claim, often one to three years. Surviving clock two means nothing if clock one already ran out.
DAY 0 — THE INJURY
CLOCK 1 · TELL YOUR EMPLOYER
Often 30 days — some states, just days.
Miss it and the long clock stops mattering.
CLOCK 2 · FILE THE FORMAL CLAIM
Often 1–3 years, by state.
Long — but it runs even while checks arrive.
Report first, in writing, today — then the long clock is yours to use.
Your state's actual numbers, in one minute: the Deadline Checker .
3. Your check — where the number comes from
Wage benefits aren't mysterious; they're arithmetic on one input. That input — the average weekly wage — is also the most commonly miscalculated number in comp.
How a weekly benefit check is calculated
A drawn pay stub — gross pay, overtime, tips, often a second job — passes through a stamped two-thirds multiplier and becomes your weekly check: tax-free, within state caps.
A W W
gross + OT + tips + 2nd job
× ⅔
the wage formula
(some states 60–80%)
$
TAX-FREE
YOUR WEEKLY CHECK
within state caps
Check the math against your pay stubs: the Wage-Loss Calculator .
4. The six benefits — what comp actually pays
"Workers' comp" is six distinct benefits wearing one name. Most claims use two or three; serious ones use more.
The six types of workers' comp benefits
Six drawn tiles: medical care with no copays ever; temporary total disability, wage checks while you cannot work; temporary partial, part of the gap on light duty; permanent partial, a rating converted to weeks of pay; permanent total, checks when no work is possible; and death benefits for dependents.
MEDICAL CARE
no copays, no deductibles
TEMPORARY TOTAL
~⅔ checks while off work
TEMPORARY PARTIAL
part of the light-duty gap
PERMANENT PARTIAL
rating → weeks of pay
PERMANENT TOTAL
lifetime in many states
DEATH BENEFITS
for dependents + burial
Most claims use two or three of the six.
Every term defined in plain language: the Glossary .
5. A settlement — three blocks, not one number
Every settlement offer is really three numbers added together. Evaluating an offer means checking each block against your own facts — not reacting to the total.
The three blocks of a settlement
Three drawn crates — unpaid benefits, permanency, and future medical — added together equal a tag labeled settlement value. First offers usually shrink block two and zero out block three.
UNPAID BENEFITS
checks & bills owed
+
PERMANENCY
rating × weeks × rate
+
FUTURE MEDICAL
kept open, or bought out
=
SETTLEMENT
VALUE
First offers usually shrink block 2 and zero out block 3 — that's where the checking goes.
Play with the blocks yourself: the Settlement Estimator · then Before You Sign .
6. The dispute ladder — a denial is a floor, not a ceiling
Denials feel final and aren't. Every state runs a version of the same ladder, and a large share of pursued denials improve on the way up.
The dispute ladder after a denial
A drawn staircase rising from the denial letter on the floor: decode and fix the reason, file the appeal by its one hard deadline, the hearing before a judge, then further appeal. An amber line climbs the stairs.
DENIAL LETTER
a position, not a verdict
DECODE & FIX
match reason to evidence
FILE THE APPEAL
the one hard deadline
HEARING
a judge, not an adjuster
FURTHER APPEAL
Most represented workers settle somewhere on this ladder — often before the hearing.
The full playbook, step by step: Denied Claims .
7. Three facts shape every claim
Any two workers with "the same injury" can have very different claims. Three facts do the shaping — and this site has a definitive guide for each one of yours.
The three facts that shape every claim
Three drawn emblems — a map pin for where, your state; a bandaged arm for what, your injury; a hard hat for who, your job — feed into one drawn folder labeled your claim. Read all three; they compound.
WHERE · YOUR STATE
deadlines · doctors · formulas
WHAT · YOUR INJURY
medicine · recovery · ratings
WHO · YOUR JOB
patterns · signature traps
YOUR CLAIM
read all three — they compound
Your state · your injury · your job .
