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

Report the accident or injury to your employer as soon as you can, and no later than 72 hours after the general nature of the injury became apparent, in writing or in another way the Department approves. File your claim within 1 year.

Wyoming figures temporary total disability by the month, not the week.

Your employer's insurer, not the state, usually decides first. If they deny or delay, the free help listed here can explain your options.

In Wyoming, temporary total disability pays part of your lost wages each month while a doctor certifies that you cannot work because of a work injury. Wyoming runs its own state workers' compensation fund: the state Workers' Compensation Division, not a private insurance company, decides and pays claims, and disputes go to a hearing examiner at the Office of Administrative Hearings (or the Medical Commission for medical questions).

What are my deadlines?How much will I get?Who is my doctor?Claim denied?

Checked against official sources: October 31, 2026.

Deadlines are strict. If you are near one, call the state agency or free help today.

Free tools for Wyoming

Free tools that run in your browser. Nothing you enter is saved or sent until you download, copy or print a document.

Deadline helper

Worked out in your browser. Nothing you enter here is saved or sent.

If you are not sure of the exact day, use the earliest day you think it could be.

Enter the date of injury

We add the number from the law to your date. Nothing is saved.

Written notice to your employer

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

Where the reply should be sent.

Required when you mail it. Not needed if you hand it in person.

In your own words, in English. Keep it short and factual. Do not guess why it happened.

It goes into the letter as you type it.

Other formats

Claim checklist: what to gather and do

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

What you already have

Wyoming
Other formats

Your checklist

Deadlines in Wyoming

Tell your employer

Report the accident or injury to your employer as soon as you can, and no later than 72 hours after the general nature of the injury became apparent, in writing or in another way the Department approves.

File your claim
1 year
Waiting period

Temporary total disability is not paid for the first 3 days of disability unless the disability lasts more than 8 days.

All the details →

Weekly benefit in Wyoming

Minimum rule

The monthly benefit is the greater of two-thirds of your actual monthly earnings or 30% of the statewide average monthly wage, but it can never be more than 100% of your actual monthly earnings.

Applies to
Injuries in each calendar quarter use the statewide average monthly wage for the 12 months before that quarter

Wyoming figures temporary total disability by the month, not the week.

Law: Wyo. Stat. §§ 27-14-403(c), 27-14-404(a), (c), 27-14-802(b)

Source: drive.google.com

We do not offer a calculator for Wyoming: its rule has parts that a simple estimate cannot show. Read the rule above and ask the state agency.

All the details →

Who is your doctor in Wyoming?

Who chooses
You choose

You have the right to choose your own treating health care provider (a medical doctor, osteopath, chiropractor, optometrist, podiatrist, psychologist or advanced practice nurse). Your employer or the Division may designate providers for non-emergency care, but you may choose a different provider for any reason; if you do, your employer or the Division may require a second opinion from a provider it chooses.

Once you have chosen a provider, you cannot change unless your current provider refers you to another one, or you notify the Division in writing first, using the Change of Healthcare Provider form and explaining why. After you ask to change, you cannot keep seeing the old provider.

Law: Wyo. Stat. § 27-14-401(f)

Source: dws.wyo.gov

Who is covered in Wyoming

Size of employer

Coverage through the state fund is required for every employer, regardless of size, whose workers are in an industry the law lists as extrahazardous. The list covers most of the economy, including mining, utilities, construction, manufacturing, transportation, health care, accommodation and food services, and many retail, wholesale and service industries. Employers in industries not on the list may choose to cover all of their employees.

Special rules
  • Industries not listed as extrahazardous (for example most farm and ranch work): Not covered unless the employer elects coverage for all of its employees. Logging is on the extrahazardous list.
Not covered
  • Casual labor
  • Independent contractors
  • Employees of a private household and private duty nurses hired by a private party
  • Sole proprietors, partners, corporate officers and LLC members unless they elect coverage
  • A spouse or dependent of the employer living in the employer's household
  • Volunteers, unless specially covered
  • Licensed real estate brokers and salespersons paid for real estate services
  • Owner-operators of leased trucks under contracts that treat them as non-employees
  • Federal employees, who are covered by a federal program
Contractors

Independent contractors are not covered. Wyoming law defines who counts as an independent contractor; the label your employer uses does not decide it.

Immigrant workers

Wyoming law covers non-citizen workers who are authorized to work in the United States, and those whom the employer reasonably believed, based on documents it had at hiring and at the time of injury, were authorized to work.

If your employer has no insurance

Wyoming law says a claim cannot be denied only because your employer failed to comply with the workers' compensation law (for example, by not registering or paying premiums). File your injury report with the Division as usual.

Check your employer's insurance

Law: Wyo. Stat. §§ 27-14-102(a)(vii)-(viii), 27-14-108(a), (j), 27-14-601(g)

Source: wyoleg.gov

If your claim is denied or delayed in Wyoming

First step

Read the Division's Final Determination letter; it gives the reasons and the due date. To disagree, send a written objection and request for hearing to the Workers' Compensation Division with your name, claim number, the date and the reason, postmarked by the due date (within 15 days after the determination was mailed).

All the details →

Lawyers' fees and other benefits in Wyoming

After you file a timely request for hearing, the hearing examiner may appoint an attorney for you on request. The examiner sets a reasonable hourly fee (at a rate set by the Office of Administrative Hearings), which cannot exceed the benefits at issue, and orders who pays it: the workers' compensation account, your award or the employer. The Division's guide says you are not responsible for paying attorney fees or court costs for a timely-requested hearing.

Wyoming can also pay medical care with no set time limit, temporary light duty (temporary partial) benefits, permanent partial impairment, permanent partial disability or vocational rehabilitation (you choose one), permanent total disability, monthly benefits for unmarried children, death benefits and burial expenses (up to $5,000 plus $5,000 for related expenses), and travel to medical care 10 miles or more each way.

Free help in Wyoming

State agency

Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, Workers' Compensation Division

Phone
(307) 777-7441
Address
Workers' Compensation Division, P.O. Box 20207, Cheyenne, WY 82003 (office: 5221 Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne, WY 82002)
Find an office
Look up your case

Free help

Good to know in Wyoming

  • Wyoming workers' compensation is run by the state (a state fund); the Division, not a private insurer, decides claims and pays benefits.
  • Two separate filings are required: the injury report within 10 days, and a claim or application for benefits within 1 year; the injury report alone is not a claim.
  • You can see your claim information online in the PIERS system or by calling (307) 777-7441 (DWS).

Questions about workers' comp in Wyoming

How long do I have to file a workers' comp claim in Wyoming?

Filing the injury report is not a claim for benefits. To be paid, you must also file an application or claim for benefits with the Division within 1 year after the injury (or after you discovered an injury that was not readily apparent).

How much does workers' comp pay in Wyoming?

Wyoming figures temporary total disability by the month, not the week.

Can I choose my own doctor for a work injury in Wyoming?

You have the right to choose your own treating health care provider (a medical doctor, osteopath, chiropractor, optometrist, podiatrist, psychologist or advanced practice nurse).

What if my workers' comp claim is denied in Wyoming?

Read the Division's Final Determination letter; it gives the reasons and the due date. To disagree, send a written objection and request for hearing to the Workers' Compensation Division with your name, claim number, the date and the reason, postmarked by the due date (within 15 days after the determination was mailed).

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