Who is supposed to pay me when I can’t work because of an injury on the job?

A: The benefits, including lost wages, are actually paid by your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance carrier-not the employer. In some cases, the employer can be self-insured, which means that your employer is paying the benefits.  In that situation, the money may be paid by the employer directly or by a company the employer has hired to administer its workers’ compensation claims. These companies are called third party administrators. In these cases, the money is paid by the third party administrator but the funds come from the employer. Lastly, if your employer does not have workers’ compensation insurance for some reason, then there is a State administered program called the Uninsured Employer’s Fund (also known as the Fund) which can pay your benefits. The Fund will also have a third party administrator that will issue the checks but the funds are paid through a program run by the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Fortunately, you will not necessarily need to know when filing your workers’ compensation claim with the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission who will pay the benefits. The Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission keeps track of the insurance information of employers in Virginia. If you have any questions about this, please contact us.