Massachusetts Employees – You’re Covered by Workers’ Compensation After a Workplace Accident

From time to time, an injured worker will come to us with questions because an employer has told them the company is too small to have workers’ compensation insurance. That sounds like an employer trying to avoid a workers’ compensation claim and shift the cost to the injured worker.

The fact is all employers in Massachusetts are required by state law to have workers’ compensation insurance covering their employees. The requirement holds true regardless of the size of the company, the number of workers or the number of hours an employee works each week. The same law also applies to family businesses. Family members who are employees of a family business must be covered by workers’ compensation insurance.

Employers who operate without workers’ compensation insurance are subject to civil and criminal penalties. The employer may receive a Stop Work order on the business.

Out-of-state employers who do business in Massachusetts also are required to provide workers’ compensation coverage for all their workers who are working in Massachusetts.

There are only a handful of exceptions to the requirement that employers provide workers’ compensation. Coverage or lack of coverage many hinge on your status as an employee, an independent contractor or a subcontractor. A knowledgeable Massachusetts workers’ compensation lawyer can answer your questions about how Massachusetts’ workers’ compensation law defines employee.

If an employer has suggested the company is too small or has too few employees to provide workers’ compensation, or has stated your workplace accident is not covered by workers’ compensation, that employer may try to deny your injury claim. Fortunately, you have legal rights as an injured employee in Massachusetts. Contact a qualified workers’ comp lawyer that concentrates on workers’ compensation and focuses every day on protecting workers’ rights.

For more than 20 years, Kantrovitz & Associates, P.C., has zealously represented the interests of injured and ill workers throughout Massachusetts, including but not limited to Boston, Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Suffolk, Plymouth and Merrimack River. We also represent Rhode Island and New Hampshire residents whose injuries occurred in Massachusetts or who were hired in Massachusetts but who were injured out of state.

For a free case evaluation of your workers’ compensation claim, please complete our online form or call Kantrovitz & Associates, P.C., toll free at 800-367-0871 to speak with an experienced workers’ compensation attorney.