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The revised Kansas workers compensation system continues to put the squeeze on employees who are injured or get sick at work.

In fiscal year 2020, which ended on September 30, 2020, the Kansas Division of Workers Compensation received reports of 45,281 total occupational injuries and illnesses.

Fortunately, almost every business in Kansas will provide workers compensation benefits for employees who are injured or fall ill on the job. There are, however, certain restrictions and exclusions.

If you’re injured or fall ill at work in Kansas, your medical bills and any lost wages will be covered by the state’s workers compensation system, which is considered the “exclusive remedy” for workplace injuries and illnesses.

In Fiscal Year 2020, ending September 30, 2020, there were 45,281 total occupational injuries and illnesses reported to the Kansas Division of Workers Compensation.

You’ve just made your way through the thicket of administrative hurdles that accompany the workers compensation system in Kansas. You’re receiving payment for lost wages due to your temporary or permanent disability, and now you want to know if that money is taxable.

You’re out on workers compensation and recovering from injuries that prevent you from doing your primary job, but what if an employment opportunity arises that you can do despite your injuries and recovery program? Can you take it and still retain your workers compensation benefits?

More than 900,000 cases involving days away from work were reported in the U.S. private sector in 2018. 30% of those injuries — or nearly 273,000 cases — involved musculoskeletal disorders or “ergonomic injuries” involving repetitive use injuries.

Since the enactment of the 2011 Kansas Workers Compensation Act (KWCA), and the subsequent adoption of the 6th edition of the American Medical Association’s (AMA) “Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment,” workers compensation claims in Kansas have become harder and harder to file and seem to come with much stingier payouts.

Our team of attorneys at Slape & Howard has been spearheading a drive to revise the state’s 2011 Kansas Workers Compensation Act (KWCA), which reduced benefits and made it harder for employees injured at work to receive the compensation for medical expenses and lost wages due them.