New Worker’s Compensation Dashboard Highlights Injury and Claim Statistics in Wisconsin

by Mays Law | Feb 15, 2025 | Workers Compensation

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services recently launched a new workers’ compensation dashboard that provides information about workplace injuries and workers’ compensation claims in the state. The data published through the dashboard provide some interesting insights into trends, common injuries, and the compensation awarded to injured workers and their families. Here are some highlights based on the most-recent data available:

More than 20,000 Employees File Workers’ Compensation Claims in Wisconsin Each Year

According to the latest data in the dashboard, more than 20,000 employees file workers’ compensation claims in Wisconsin each year. While the total number of claims filed has dropped in the past couple of years, this is still a lot of claims.

On average, 76.7% of all workers’ compensation claims filed over the past five years were paid (with the most recent data coming from 2023). Of course, this means that 23.3% of workers’ compensation claims—or nearly one in four—are unsuccessful.

Strains Are the Most Common Injuries Leading to Workers’ Compensation Claims in Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services’ workers compensation dashboard shows that strains, sprains, and tears are the most common injuries leading to workers’ compensation claims by a fairly significant margin. Of the 126,738 claims filed from 2019 to 2023, 49,087 involved these types of injuries. According to the dashboard, the most common causes of workers’ compensation claims in Wisconsin are:

Strains, sprains, and tears
Slips, trips and falls
Miscellaneous causes
Being struck or injured by an object
Cuts, punctures, and scrapes
Getting caught in or under an object
Striking against or stepping on an object
Burning and scalding
Motor vehicle accidents

The dashboard also identifies the most common body parts involved in workers’ compensation claims in Wisconsin. From most common to least, the body parts most commonly injured in work-related accidents are:

Shoulders
Lower back
Knees
Fingers
Ankles
Wrists
Hands
Feet
Body systems

Manufacturing is the Most Dangerous Industry, But Transportation and Material Moving are the Most Dangerous Occupations

Based on the dashboard’s data, manufacturing is the most dangerous industry for workers in Wisconsin. Approximately one in five workplace injuries in Wisconsin involve manufacturing, and the manufacturing industry has a workers’ compensation claim rate of 9 per 1,000 full-time equivalent employees. The industries with the highest numbers of workers’ compensation claims in Wisconsin over the past five years are:

Manufacturing
Healthcare and social assistance
Retail trade
Transportation and warehousing
Public administration
Construction
Administrative and support services
Wholesale trade
Educational services

But, while manufacturing may be the most dangerous industry for workers in Wisconsin, drivers face the highest risk of getting injured on the job. According to the dashboard, the occupations with the highest numbers of workers’ compensation claims in Wisconsin over the past five years are:

Transportation and material moving
Production
Office and administrative support
Healthcare practitioners and technical services
Construction and extraction
Installation, maintenance, and repair
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance
Healthcare support
Food preparation and serving-related occupations

Lifting Injuries and Shoulder Injuries Are Among the Most Expensive for Employers and Their Insurance Companies

Overall, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services’ workers compensation dashboard shows that lifting injuries are the most expensive for employers and their insurers. Self-insured employers and workers’ compensation insurance companies paid more than $17 million in total non-medical costs (lost time, permanent partial disability, and permanent total disability) for lifting injuries in 2023. Fall-related injuries are the next most-expensive, followed by: sprains, strains, and tears; pushing and pulling injuries; and injuries from twisting and repetitive motion.

Given that lifting injuries are so common, it is not a surprise that shoulder injuries are among the most expensive for employers and their insurers as well. Shoulder injuries accounted for approximately 20% of all non-medical costs paid in 2023, followed by injuries to the knees, lower back, ankles, wrists, and feet. In terms of the nature of workers’ injuries, sprains, strains, and tears are the most costly, followed by fractures and contusions.

Dozens of Wisconsin Families Are Forced to Cope with Fatal Workplace Accidents Every Year

Sadly, the dashboard’s data show that dozens of families in Wisconsin lose loved ones to fatal workplace accidents every year. While the dashboard does not provide detailed information on these fatal accidents, it is safe to assume that many of them occur in the state’s most-dangerous injuries and most-dangerous occupations, which we covered above. When workplace accidents lead to fatalities, spouses and other eligible family members are entitled to seek workers’ compensation death benefits under Wisconsin law.

Are You Struggling to Cope with the Effects of a Work-Related Accident in Wisconsin?

Are you struggling to cope with the effects of a serious or fatal work-related accident? If so, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits under Wisconsin law. Eligible employees and family members can file workers’ compensation claims on a “no fault” basis, which means that proof of the cause of your (or your loved one’s) accident is not required. While there are some exceptions, these exceptions do not apply in most cases.

If you have a workers’ compensation claim, there are specific requirements you need to meet (including strict deadlines), and mistakes and delays can prove very costly in some cases. With this in mind, it is important that you take action as soon as possible. You can hire a lawyer to help with your workers’ compensation claim at no out-of-pocket cost, and you can rely on your lawyer to fight for the benefits you deserve on your behalf.

Schedule a Free Consultation with a Madison Workers’ Compensation Lawyer today

If you or a loved one has been involved in a workplace accident in Wisconsin, we strongly encourage you to contact us for more information about your legal rights. We represent employees and families in workers’ compensation claims statewide. To schedule a free consultation with a Madison workers’ compensation lawyer at Mays Law Firm as soon as possible, call us at 608-291-7609 or tell us how we can reach you online today.

Injured on the Job in Wisconsin? Don’t Make These 10 Common Mistakes

by Mays Law | Aug 1, 2021 | Workers Compensation

If you’ve been injured on the job in Wisconsin, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. But, even if you are clearly entitled to compensation, this doesn’t mean that it will be easy to collect the benefits you deserve. You need to take several steps to protect your rights, and there are also several costly mistakes you need to avoid.

Here are 10 common mistakes you need to avoid when filing for workers’ compensation benefits in Wisconsin:

1. Waiting Too Long to Report Your Injury

In Wisconsin, you only have 30 days to report a job-related injury. If you wait longer than 30 days, you could lose your right to workers’ compensation benefits.

However, while you have up to 30 days, you really shouldn’t wait any longer than necessary. Even if you report your injury within 30 days, waiting could make it more difficult to prove that you are entitled to benefits. Your employer may try to dispute that the accident happened, and your employer’s insurance company may try to argue that you can’t prove your injury is work-related.

2. Including Inaccurate Information on Your Injury Report

When reporting your injury to your employer, you need to be as accurate as possible. You do not want to say anything that isn’t true. Do not make any assumptions; if you don’t know something, state that you don’t know. Even if you inadvertently provide false or misleading information, this could create problems for your workers’ compensation claim.

3. Seeing a Company Doctor

Under Wisconsin law, you have the right to see a doctor of your choosing (this isn’t the case in all states). You should exercise this right—and you should not see a company doctor if one is available to you. If you needed emergency treatment and you saw a company doctor, that’s okay, but you will want to choose your own doctor going forward.

4. Failing to Follow Through with Your Medical Care

Once you receive a diagnosis and treatment recommendations, you need to follow through with your medical care. Ignoring medical advice is among the most common mistakes workers make after getting injured on the job. If you ignore your doctor’s advice, not only could this hinder your recovery, but it could lead to challenges with your workers’ compensation claim as well.

If you aren’t sure what your doctor has recommended, you should call the office to inquire. Make sure you get your prescriptions filled and make arrangements to be at all of your follow-up appointments on time.

5. Returning to Work Too Soon

As part of following your doctor’s advice, you need to make sure you do not return to work too soon. Even if you feel good enough to work, you still need to rest if this is what your doctor recommends. Broken bones, strains and tears, tendonitis, and other common types of work injuries can take several weeks or months to heal, and resuming work too soon could lead to setbacks with your recovery. If the insurance company says that you are responsible for these setbacks, your additional medical expenses might not be covered.

6. Letting the Insurance Company Calculate Your Benefits

Most employees who file for workers’ compensation on their own let the insurance company calculate their benefits. While the insurance company might calculate your benefits correctly, it also might not. To make sure you receive the full benefits to which you are legally entitled, you will want to double-check the insurance company’s calculation and raise any concerns you have.

This is especially important concerning disability benefits. Temporary and permanent disability benefits are calculated differently, and the amount you are entitled to receive depends on your individual circumstances. The insurance company might try to pay less than the full amount you are owed; and, if it does, you will need to know so that you can address the issue promptly.

7. Accepting a Denial of Benefits

Sometimes insurance companies will deny benefits outright. If you receive a denial of benefits, you should not let this be the last word on your claim. Instead, you should talk to a lawyer to find out if the denial was justified. If it weren’t (as is often the case), your lawyer would be able to deal with the insurance company for you and work to address any issues that may be responsible for your denial.

8. Failing to Prepare for Your Independent Medical Exam (IME)

After you file for workers’ compensation benefits, your employer’s insurance company may say that you need to attend an independent medical exam (IME). This is an exam conducted by a doctor who works with an insurance company. As such, it really isn’t “independent” at all.

Before attending an IME, you need to prepare. You need to know what to say, what not to say, and what to do once the exam is over. A lawyer can help you with this as well.

9. Giving Up on Your Claim

Given all of the challenges involved in filing for workers’ compensation benefits, some workers simply give up. They get tired of dealing with the insurance company, and they decide that the hassle isn’t worth any benefits they may eventually be able to recover.

However, you should not give up on your claim under any circumstances. Job-related injuries can be incredibly costly, and you deserve to collect benefits if you qualify. Down the line, you will be happy that you put in the effort to file a successful claim.

10. Trying to Handle Your Situation on Your Own

If you need to file for workers’ compensation, you don’t have to handle your situation on your own. A lawyer can help you, and you can hire a lawyer at no out-of-pocket cost. Legal fees for workers’ compensation claims are capped at 20 percent of the amount in dispute, and an experienced lawyer may be able to help you recover far more than you could recover on your own.

Schedule a Free Workers’ Comp Consultation at Mays Law Office

Do you need to file a claim for workers’ compensation benefits? If so, we encourage you to contact us for a free, no-obligation consultation. To speak with an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer at Mays Law Office in confidence, call 608-302-6614 or tell us how we can reach you online now.

When Can Employers Deny Workers Compensation in Wisconsin?

by Mays Law | Jun 1, 2021 | Workers Compensation

When you get hurt on the job and you file for workers compensation benefits, you expect to receive the benefits you are owed. While this happens for some workers, for others, collecting benefits can be a challenge. If your employer denies your claim, you need to know what to do next. This starts with understanding why your claim was denied.

Employers (and their insurance companies) deny workers compensation claims for a variety of different reasons. Some of these reasons are valid, and some of them are not. If your employer denied your claim for an invalid reason, then you should still be able to collect benefits. If your employer denied your claim for a valid reason, whether you can still collect benefits depends on whether you can fix the issue that caused your denial.

7 Reasons Employers Can Deny Workers Compensation Claims

Here are seven valid reasons why employers can deny their employees’ claims for workers compensation benefits. Some of these issues can be fixed (as long as you address them in time), and some of them cannot:

1. You Waited Too Long to Report Your Injury

Under Wisconsin law, you have 30 days to report your injury or illness to your employer. This 30-day period runs from the date you knew, or “ought to have known” of your condition. For injuries sustained in falls, collisions, and other accidents, this generally means that you must report your injury within 30 days of the accident. For repetitive stress injuries and occupational illnesses, determining when the 30-day reporting period expires can be more complicated.

2. You Waited Too Long to File Your Claim

The deadline to report your injury or illness isn’t the only deadline that applies to your workers compensation claim. If your employer does not pay the benefits you are owed after you report your injury or illness, you then have two years (in most cases) to file a claim with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD). If you don’t file your claim within two years, this can justify your employer in denying your claim for benefits.

3. You Didn’t Provide Enough Information

An injury or illness only qualifies for workers compensation benefits if it occurs within the scope of your employment. In other words, you must have a job-related injury or illness in order to collect workers compensation benefits. If you didn’t provide enough information for your employer to determine whether your injury or illness qualifies, this could be the reason (or one of the reasons) why your employer denied your claim.

4. You Provided False or Misleading Information

Employers can deny claims for workers compensation benefits when employees provide false or misleading information regarding their injuries. This is true even if you provided false or misleading information unintentionally. Intentionally providing false or misleading information is considered workers compensation fraud, and it can provide justification for a permanent denial of benefits.

5. You Didn’t Seek Medical Treatment

When you suffer a job-related injury, seeking medical treatment isn’t just important for your health. It is also important for your workers compensation claim. If you haven’t seen a doctor, your employer isn’t going to pay benefits. If you waited too long to see a doctor, your employer might try to use this as a basis for denying your workers compensation claim as well.

6. Your Medical Records Don’t Indicate that Your Injury is Job-Related

When you see a doctor for treatment, it is important to tell your doctor that you suffered your injury or illness on the job. Your doctor should note this in your medical records. If your medical records don’t indicate that your injury is job-related, this could be why your employer denied your claim.

7. You are Not Eligible to Receive Benefits

Not all workers are eligible to receive workers compensation. If you are not eligible, then you are not entitled to benefits even if you got injured or sick on the job. If you are not eligible to receive workers compensation through your employer, you may have other options available.

3 Reasons Employers Can’t Deny Workers Compensation Benefits

As we mentioned above, in addition to denying workers compensation claims for valid reasons, employers will often deny claims for invalid reasons as well. Some examples of invalid reasons for denying workers compensation claims include:

1. You Have a Pre-Existing Condition

In Wisconsin, employers generally cannot deny workers compensation benefits on the basis of a pre-existing condition. For example, if you had a bad knee and you reinjured your knee at work or your pain got worse from doing your job, you are entitled to benefits under Wisconsin law.

2. You Caused Your Own Injury

Workers compensation is a “no fault” system. This means that you are entitled to collect benefits even if you caused your own injury.

3. Your Employer Wants To Avoid Paying

Finally, your employer cannot deny your claim simply because it wants to avoid paying. Unfortunately, this is all it takes for some companies to deny benefits. If your employer does not have a valid basis for denying your claim, then you should still be able to collect benefits with a lawyer’s help.

What To Do if Your Employer Denies Your Workers Compensation Claim

If your employer has denied your worker’s compensation claim, what should you do? At this point, you will want to speak with workers compensation attorney promptly. An experienced Wisconsin workers’ compensation lawyer will be able to determine why your claim was denied and what (if anything) you can do to collect benefits. If you have a valid claim, your lawyer can then fight to secure the benefits you deserve.

Schedule a Free Consultation with a Wisconsin Workers Compensation Lawyer

Has your employer denied your claim for workers’ compensation benefits? If so, contact us promptly for a free, no-obligation consultation. To speak with a Wisconsin workers compensation lawyer at Mays Law Office in confidence, call 608-257-0440 or tell us how we can reach you online now.