Hurt at work in Nebraska? Deadlines, weekly benefit and how to file

Deadline helper

Benefit estimate calculator

This estimate uses the rule in Nebraska's data: a share of your average weekly wage, up to the state maximum.

Written notice to your employer

A letter that tells your employer, in writing, that you were hurt or made sick by your work.

Claim checklist: what to gather and do

A printable list of papers to keep and steps to take.

Deadlines in Nebraska

Tell your employer

Notify your employer of any work-related injury or occupational disease as soon as possible.

File your claim

2 years

Waiting period

No compensation is paid for the first 7 calendar days of disability; benefits begin on the 8th calendar day.

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Weekly benefit in Nebraska

What it pays

Two-thirds of your gross (before-tax) wages

Maximum

$1,166 a week (on or after January 1, 2026)

Minimum

$49 a week (on or after January 1, 2026)

Minimum rule

The minimum is $49 a week. If your wages at the time of injury were less than $49 a week, you receive your full weekly wages.

Applies to

Injuries on or after January 1, 2026

Law: Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 48-121(1), 48-121.01

Source: newcc.gov

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Who is your doctor in Nebraska?

Who chooses

It depends: network and choice rules both apply

Network

Court-certified managed care plan, if the employer's insurer uses one (you may still choose a prior treating doctor who agrees to the plan's rules)

After you report the injury, your employer must tell you that you may choose your primary treating doctor. If it does, you may choose only a doctor who treated you or an immediate family member (spouse, child, parent, stepchild or stepparent) before the injury and has records of that treatment. Unless it is an emergency, tell your employer the doctor's name before getting treatment. If you have no such doctor, do not name one, or refuse permission to verify prior treatment, your employer chooses the doctor. If your employer never tells you about this right, you may choose any doctor.

Source: using the court's Form 50

Once the doctor is chosen after you were told your rights, you cannot change doctors unless your employer agrees or the court orders a change. A referral by your doctor is not a change. You may choose any doctor for major surgery or an amputation, or if your claim is denied. If your employer will not agree to a change, you can ask the court for free mediation (Informal Dispute Resolution).

Law: Neb. Rev. Stat. § 48-120(2); Neb. Workers' Comp. Ct. R. 49, 50, 56

Source: newcc.gov

Who is covered in Nebraska

Size of employer

The Act applies to the State, its agencies, and every employer in Nebraska with one or more employees in its regular trade, business, profession or vocation, including part-time employees, minors and employees of charities.

Special rules

• Agricultural operations: A farm or ranch employer that employs only related employees is exempt. One with unrelated employees is exempt unless, in a calendar year, it employs 10 or more unrelated full-time employees on each working day for 13 weeks (the Act applies 30 days after the 13th week). An exempt farm employer that does not buy coverage must give unrelated employees a signed written notice that they are not covered; if it does not, it is liable under the Act.

Not covered

• Household domestic servants in a private residence
• Agricultural employers with only related employees, or with fewer than 10 unrelated full-time employees as described above
• Occasional reciprocal work between farmers
• Independent contractors (decided case by case under a 10-factor test)
• Railroad companies in interstate commerce, federal employers and others covered by federal programs

Contractors

The Act does not cover independent contractors, but it does not define the term. Whether you are an employee or an independent contractor is decided case by case, using a 10-factor test applied by the Nebraska Supreme Court; no single factor decides it.

If your employer has no insurance

An employer that must carry workers' compensation and does not is still responsible for paying your compensation, and you can file a petition with the Nebraska Workers' Compensation Court. If the employer is a corporation or LLC, an officer or manager who willfully failed to buy coverage can be personally liable for the compensation. Willful failure to insure is a crime, and the employer can be fined and ordered to stop doing business until it gets coverage.

Check your employer's insurance

Law: Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 48-106, 48-145.01

Source: newcc.gov

If your claim is denied or delayed in Nebraska

First step

Contact the employer or insurer first (find the insurer with the court's Coverage Lookup or by calling the court's information line). You can then ask the court for free Informal Dispute Resolution (mediation), ask for the court's Independent Medical Examiner process for medical disagreements, or file a petition with the court.

Form

Petition (Nebraska Workers' Compensation Court)

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Lawyers' fees and other benefits in Nebraska

You do not need an attorney; if you hire one, you make those arrangements yourself. The court does not provide or recommend attorneys. If you represent yourself, you must follow all court rules, statutes and procedures.

Nebraska workers' compensation also pays medical care and mileage to treatment (76 cents a mile from July 1, 2026), temporary partial disability, permanent partial disability for scheduled body parts or loss of earning power, permanent total disability, return-to-work (vocational rehabilitation) services, and death benefits to dependents with burial expenses ($12,200 from July 1, 2026).

Free help in Nebraska

State agency

Nebraska Workers' Compensation Court

Phone

1-800-599-5155

Address

1010 Lincoln Mall, Suite 100, Lincoln, NE 68508-2833 (Court Clerk; the court has announced a relocation)

Find an office

Look up your case

Free help

• Nebraska Workers' Compensation Court information line (information, not legal advice; limited-English help available) · 1-800-599-5155
• Nebraska Workers' Compensation Court Informal Dispute Resolution (free mediation) · 1-800-599-5155
• Legal Aid of Nebraska (free civil legal aid) · 402-348-1069
• LawHelp.org

Good to know in Nebraska

• If your employer does not tell you about your right to choose a doctor, you may choose any doctor.
• A 50% waiting-time penalty may be added if benefits are not paid within 30 days of notice and there is no reasonable dispute.
• The court's information sheets and Form 50 (Choice of Doctor) are available in Spanish (NWCC forms and publications).

Changes in 2024–2026

The maximum weekly income benefit is reset every January 1 at 100% of the state average weekly wage; it is $1,166 effective January 1, 2026. The minimum remains $49.

Law: Neb. Rev. Stat. § 48-121.01(2)

Source: NWCC benefit rates page

Questions about workers' comp in Nebraska

Not about a work injury?

Not about a work injury? Unpaid wages → Wage Claim Map · Hurt in a car crash → Accident Claim Map · A medical bill → Medical Bill Map · Unemployment benefits → Unemployment Claim Map · Other problems → robinclaim.com

Nearby states

Sources

• NWCC: Worker Frequently Asked Questions
• NWCC: Benefit Rates
• NWCC: Choosing a Doctor for a Work-Related Injury (information sheet)
• NWCC: Form 50, Choice of Doctor (English and Spanish)
• NWCC: Overview of Appeal (information sheet)
• NWCC: Petition form and instructions
• NWCC: Office hours and contact information
• NWCC: Employer coverage lookup
• Neb. Rev. Stat. § 48-106
• Neb. Rev. Stat. § 48-119
• Neb. Rev. Stat. § 48-120
• Neb. Rev. Stat. § 48-121
• Neb. Rev. Stat. § 48-121.01
• Neb. Rev. Stat. § 48-133
• Neb. Rev. Stat. § 48-137
• Neb. Rev. Stat. § 48-144.01
• Neb. Rev. Stat. § 48-145.01 (failure to insure)