Kansas Workers’ Compensation

Kansas Workers’ Compensation Laws

In Kansas, almost every employer needs workers’ compensation coverage, also known as workers’ comp and workmans’ comp. This insurance helps give employees who have work-related injuries or illnesses important weekly benefits which can help pay for:

Medical bills
Lost wages if your employees need time off to recover
Disability benefits

Workers’ compensation can also help pay for your legal fees if your injured employee sues you. Although the law requires businesses to carry workmans’ comp in Kansas, it’s up to you to buy your policy. To learn more about workers’ compensation, get a quote from us today.

What Workers’ Comp in Kansas Covers

Kansas workers’ compensation can help cover expenses related to:

Accidents or injuries that happen on the job.
Illnesses resulting from exposure to harmful allergens or chemicals.
Repetitive stress injuries, like carpal tunnel syndrome.
Missed wages when an employee needs time off work to recover. These wages are a percentage of your employee’s average weekly wage before their injury or illness occurred. These payments continue while they’re out of work but stop when they fully return to their job.
Ongoing care, like physical therapy when an employee suffers a severe injury while working.
Funeral costs and death benefits for your employee’s family if they lost their life on the job.
Disability benefits when an employee gets temporarily or permanently disabled. For example, a back injury could become a permanent partial disability.

Does Kansas Require Workers’ Compensation?

Kansas law states that every employer, with a few exceptions, needs to carry workers comp coverage. Some exceptions include:¹

Employers in certain types of agricultural work
Employers with a gross payroll of $20,000 or less per year

Keep in mind that all payroll, including everything outside of Kansas, counts toward the $20,000 when determining a workers’ comp exemption. Wages paid to sole proprietors and their family members or owners and family members for partnerships do not count.²

Other employers excluded from Kansas workers’ compensation law include:³

Realtors who are independent contractors
Firefighters working for relief associations that have been waived under Kansas workers’ comp law
Sole proprietorships or partners
Certain vehicle operators covered by occupational accident insurance

If you misclassify your employees, it can be considered workers’ compensation insurance fraud. So, be sure to review the class codes and run a year-end review of your workers’ comp.

To get the workers’ compensation coverage you need, you can work with a private insurer like us. To learn more, get a quote today.

Kansas Workers’ Compensation Rates

Workers’ comp rates vary. Some factors that impact how much you’ll pay for workers’ compensation in Kansas include your:

State laws
Business’ size
Employees’ type of work
Claims history

To learn more about workers’ comp rates, you can get quotes from multiple insurance carriers and compare them. It’s also important to note that insurance companies all offer different coverage discounts and benefits, so you’ll want to do your research. To get started, get a quote today.

Mediation Through the Kansas Workers’ Compensation Act

Mediation became part of the Kansas workers’ comp system in 1996 to help resolve disputes. Mediators help identify disputed issues and work to set goals.⁴

In the state of Kansas, mediators work for the Division of Workers’ Compensation. While mediators can help with disputes, they have no decision-making authority.⁵

These mediators receive training in:⁶

Conflict resolution
Neutrality
Ethics
Agreement writing
Role-playing
Communication skills
Case evaluation

In the case of disputes, administrative law judges may be appointed to a claim.

Fee Schedule for Workman’s Comp in Kansas

The Kansas Workers’ Compensation Fee Schedule helps control health care costs, while ensuring necessary medical treatments are available to workers who need them.⁷

Download the 2019 edition of the Kansas Workers’ Compensation Fee Schedule from the Kansas Department of Labor website.

How Does Workers’ Comp Work in Kansas?

The responsibilities of employees and employers are different when it comes to filing a workers’ comp claim in Kansas.

Employees need to report their injury to their supervisor or employer within 20 days of the injury.
In the case of repetitive stress injuries, the employee needs to report it within 20 days of getting medical treatment. This same rule applies for any injury that occurs over a long period of time.
Employees that are no longer working for your business but are seeking workers’ comp benefits need to report their injury within 10 days of their last day.⁸

As an employer, you have 28 days to submit a written report after an injured worker notifies you of their injury.⁹To learn more about your responsibilities, visit the Kansas Department of Labor website.

Kansas Workers’ Compensation Claims

To file a claim for workers’ comp in Kansas, visit our workers’ compensation claims page today.

This article provides general information, and should not be construed as specific legal, HR, financial, insurance, tax or accounting advice. As with all matters of a legal or human resources nature, you should consult with your own legal counsel and human resources professionals. The Hartford shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, special, consequential, incidental, punitive or exemplary damages in connection with the use by you or anyone of the information provided herein.

^{1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9} Kansas Department of Labor, “Workers Compensation”