How we research our guides
Each state has its own workers' compensation law. This page explains where our information comes from and how the tools work.
Sources
Each state page is built from official sources only: the state's statutes and regulations on official websites, the state workers' compensation agency and its forms, and free legal help networks. National facts (federal programs such as FECA and the Longshore Act, the OSHA rule on reporting injuries, taxes, Social Security, FMLA and the ADA) come from the U.S. Code, the Code of Federal Regulations and federal agencies. Each page lists its sources and the date it was checked.
How we check
- Every state file is researched and then checked by a second, independent reviewer against the official text, with special care for deadlines, what each one runs from, business days versus calendar days, benefit figures and links.
- A state page is published only after that check. Until then, the state appears on our map and in our tables as "not covered yet," with its workers' compensation agency when we have it, or the U.S. Department of Labor list of state agencies, and LawHelp.org.
- Where we cannot verify something, we leave it out instead of guessing. We copy numbers exactly as the source states them and never round them. Where the law counts in business days, we say so and show no calendar date.
The deadline helper
The deadline helper adds the number of days, months or years in our data to the date of injury you enter. It shows the "counted from" text, because many states count from a different date. It never turns business days into calendar days: a deadline counted in business days is shown in words only. If the date falls on a weekend or a federal holiday we say so, but we never move a legal deadline. It gives the general rule only; exceptions, such as an illness that develops over time, can change it.
The benefit calculator
The calculator appears only where our data says the weekly benefit is a share of gross average weekly wage with a maximum and a clear minimum rule. It applies that rule to the pay you enter and shows the arithmetic. It is an estimate: the insurer figures your real average weekly wage, and extra pay, second jobs and state rules can change it. Where the rule has other parts (dependents, pay after taxes, wage floors), we show the rule in words and no calculator. We never convert a monthly benefit into a weekly one, and we never estimate permanent disability or settlements.
The letters and the checklist
The notice to your employer, the doctor note and the claim checklist put what you type into full sentences. They are made on your device in English, because they go to employers and agencies in the United States; on Spanish pages a Spanish explanation is shown beside the text. When you download, copy or print one, we save only your name, phone or email, state and the document type, never injury or medical details, as our privacy policy explains.
What we never do
We never say that a claim will be paid, that a person qualifies or that an injury is covered, and we never judge anyone for asking. An agency, a legal aid office or a lawyer can look at your whole situation.
Report an error
Email us at hello@robinclaim.com with a link to the official source and we will check it.