Hurt at work in Vermont: what to do

Checked against official sources: Oct 31, 2026

In Vermont:

Tell your employer about the injury
Tell your employer about the injury immediately.
File the workers' compensation claim
The law says a claim for compensation should be made within 6 months after the injury, but a late claim is not barred if your employer knew about the accident or was not harmed by the delay, and no…
Do this now
If it is an emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. Tell the medical staff that the injury or illness happened at work.

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General legal information, not legal advice. RobinClaim is not a law firm.

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Your plan for Vermont

Do now

  1. If it is an emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. Tell the medical staff that the injury or illness happened at work.

    Why: Getting care comes first. Saying it is work-related lets the care be handled as a workers' compensation claim.

  2. Tell your supervisor or employer today, and also put it in writing (a letter, email or text) with the date. Keep a copy. You can use the letter below.

    Why: Every state sets a deadline to tell your employer, and many require written notice. Late notice can cost you benefits.

  3. If you only told your employer out loud, send a short written notice too, and keep a copy.

    Why: Written notice with a date is the easiest way to prove you reported it in time.

  4. Write down when and where it happened, what you were doing, and who saw it or was told. Take photos of the place if you can. Keep this for yourself.

    Why: Details fade fast, and your own notes help if the insurer later questions the claim.

  5. Federal employees: give your supervisor written notice within 30 days and file Form CA-1 (injury from one event or shift) or Form CA-2 (illness from repeated exposure) through ECOMP (ecomp.dol.gov). You don't need anyone's approval to start a claim.

    Why: If you file a CA-1 with your supervisor within 30 days, your agency continues your regular pay for up to 45 calendar days of disability (continuation of pay).

  6. Longshore, harbor and shipyard workers: tell your employer right away, give written notice on Form LS-201 within 30 days, and ask your employer for Form LS-1 if you need treatment.

    Why: The Longshore Act has its own forms and deadlines; Form LS-1 authorizes treatment by a doctor of your choice. Some workers may also be covered by state workers' compensation.

This week

  1. File your state's workers' compensation claim (or make sure your employer filed its report) before your state's deadline. Keep a copy and note the date you gave it.

    Why: Who files what differs by state: in some states you must hand your employer a claim form; your state page shows the form, who files it and the deadline.

  2. Ask your employer for the name of its workers' compensation insurance company or claims administrator, and write it down.

    Why: The insurer, not the state, usually decides first whether to accept your claim and pays the benefits.

  3. Check your state's rules on who chooses your doctor before you switch doctors.

    Why: In some states the employer or insurer picks the first doctor or a network; in others you choose. Your state page explains it.

  4. Check whether your employer must carry workers' compensation. In some states very small employers don't have to, and in Texas most private employers can choose not to.

    Why: If your employer had no coverage, your state page explains what you can do, including state funds for uninsured employers where they exist.

  5. Learn your state's waiting period and weekly wage benefit. Most states don't pay wage benefits for the first few days off work unless the disability lasts longer than a set time; the weekly benefit is a percentage of your average weekly wage, up to a state maximum.

    Why: Knowing the rule lets you check that payments start on time and are the right amount. Your state page shows the 2026 maximum and an estimate.

  6. Federal employees and Longshore workers: file the claim itself on time. FECA claims must be filed within 3 years; Longshore claims (Form LS-203) generally within 1 year.

    Why: These federal deadlines are separate from any state deadline.

  7. If you were fired, threatened or punished for reporting the injury, you can file a whistleblower complaint with OSHA within 30 days of the action. Many states also have their own law against punishing workers who file a workers' compensation claim.

    Why: The 30-day OSHA deadline is short. The federal OSHA complaint covers private-sector employers. You can file online, by phone or in person at your local OSHA office, in any language.

  8. If you work for a state or local government or a federal agency and were punished for reporting the injury: the federal OSHA whistleblower complaint does not cover government employers, except the U.S. Postal Service (Postal workers can file it within 30 days). Ask your state workers' compensation agency's help line, or a lawyer, quickly what protection and deadline apply to you.

    Why: The OSH Act's definition of 'employer' leaves out the United States (other than the Postal Service) and states and their political subdivisions (29 U.S.C. 652(5)). Other protections may apply, and their deadlines can be short.

  9. Call your state workers' compensation agency's free help line or ombudsman with questions.

    Why: Many state agencies have staff who explain the process to injured workers for free.

If it's not resolved

  1. If your claim is denied or payments stop, read the letter for the reason and the deadline, then ask your state agency's free help line how to start a dispute. File the dispute form before the deadline.

    Why: A denial by the insurer is not the final word: each state has a process where a judge or board can decide. Your state page lists the steps and form.

  2. Keep copies of every letter, form, medical bill and payment record, and a log of calls (date, name, what was said).

    Why: These records show what was reported and paid, and when.

  3. Workers' compensation paid for a work injury under a workers' compensation law is not taxed as federal income. Pay for light-duty work is taxed as wages.

    Why: This helps you plan your budget while you're off work.

  4. If you're eligible for the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), you can have up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave, and your employer may count your time off for the injury as FMLA leave.

    Why: FMLA covers private employers with 50 or more employees (in 20 or more workweeks this year or last year), all public agencies, and schools. You're eligible if you have worked there at least 12 months and 1,250 hours, at a location with 50 employees within 75 miles.

  5. If you also get Social Security disability benefits, Social Security may reduce them when they and your workers' compensation together are more than 80% of your average current earnings. Tell Social Security about your workers' compensation.

    Why: In some states the state reduces workers' compensation instead (a 'reverse offset').

  6. When you go back to work with limits, an employer with 15 or more employees may have to make a reasonable accommodation if your injury is a disability under the ADA.

    Why: The employer does not have to remove the essential functions of your job.

Deadlines

Tell your employer about the injury (written notice)

General rule: see state (the period and whether it must be in writing differ; some states give only days)

In Vermont:

Tell your employer about the injury immediately. The law requires notice to your employer as soon as practicable after the injury. If the injury developed over time, tell your employer as soon as you are aware of it.

Law: 21 V.S.A. §§ 656, 660 · checked Oct 2026 · Official source · From Work Comp Map: Vermont

File the workers' compensation claim

General rule: see state

In Vermont:

The law says a claim for compensation should be made within 6 months after the injury, but a late claim is not barred if your employer knew about the accident or was not harmed by the delay, and no claim is needed if compensation is being paid voluntarily. In all cases, proceedings to start a claim cannot be begun more than 3 years after the date of injury. If the insurer stops paying and denies the claim after paying voluntarily, you must start proceedings within 6 months from the date of denial.

Law: 21 V.S.A. §§ 656, 660 · checked Oct 2026 · Official source · From Work Comp Map: Vermont

Dispute a denial (ask a judge or board to decide)

General rule: see state

In Vermont:

Proceedings to start a claim must begin within 3 years of the injury (2 years from discovery for an occupational disease). If the insurer denies a claim after paying voluntarily, start proceedings within 6 months of the denial. An appeal of the Commissioner's award to Superior Court must be filed within 30 days after copies of the award are sent.

Law: 21 V.S.A. §§ 656(c), 660, 670, 672 · checked Oct 2026 · Official source · From Work Comp Map: Vermont

OSHA whistleblower complaint if you were fired or punished for reporting the injury

General rule: Within 30 days after the action (29 U.S.C. 660(c)(2)). Covers private-sector employers and the Postal Service, not other government employers (29 U.S.C. 652(5)). Your state may also have its own retaliation deadline.

Official source

Federal employees (FECA): notice to supervisor and claim

General rule: Written notice within 30 days; claim within 3 years of the injury (5 U.S.C. 8119, 8122)

Official source

Longshore and harbor workers: notice and claim

General rule: Written notice (Form LS-201) within 30 days; claim (Form LS-203) within 1 year after the injury or the last voluntary payment, whichever is later (33 U.S.C. 912, 913)

Official source

Documents to gather

  • Copy of your written notice to your employer, with the date
  • Copy of the claim form you filed and proof of when you gave or mailed it
  • Your own notes: date, time, place, what happened, witnesses
  • Name and contact of your employer's workers' compensation insurer or claims administrator
  • Pay stubs from before the injury (to check the weekly benefit)
  • Medical bills, appointment records and work-restriction notes from your doctor
  • All letters from the insurer or state agency, including any denial

Letters you can send

Fill in the boxes; the letter updates as you type. When every box is filled, download it as a PDF.

Written notice of a work injury to your employer

Give your employer dated, written notice that you were hurt or became ill because of work, and ask for the claim form and insurer details.

[Your name]
[Your address (where they should reply)]
[Your phone or email]

[Today's date]

To: [Supervisor name], [Employer name]
[Their mailing address]

Re: Notice of work-related injury or illness

I am giving you written notice that I was injured, or became ill, because of my work.

Date it happened (or date I learned it was work-related): [Date of injury]
Where: [Place of injury]
What happened, briefly: [What happened]

Please report this to your workers' compensation insurance company or claims administrator, and give me any claim form I need to fill out, the name and contact information of the insurer, and information about getting medical treatment.

Please keep a copy of this notice with my file.

Sincerely,



[Your name]
[Your job title]

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Sign it, keep a copy, and send it by certified mail with a return receipt so you can prove it was delivered.

Where to go

Costs

There is generally no fee to file a workers' compensation claim or a dispute with the state agency, and the agency's help line is free. In most states a lawyer's fee in a workers' compensation case must be approved by the agency or a judge and is often limited to a share of the benefits; in some states the employer or insurer may have to pay it. Your state page explains the rule.

Talk to a lawyer if

  • Your claim was denied or your payments stopped and the dispute deadline is coming
  • You were fired, demoted or threatened after reporting the injury
  • The insurer offers a settlement and you don't understand what you would give up
  • You can't go back to your old job, or the injury may be permanent
  • Your employer says it has no workers' compensation insurance or that you are an independent contractor
  • Someone other than your employer (for example a driver or equipment maker) may also be responsible

Free help

Most state workers' compensation agencies have a free help line, ombudsman or information officers for injured workers; your state page lists them. The Legal Services Corporation finder (lsc.gov/about-lsc/what-legal-aid/i-need-legal-help) shows the free legal aid office for your area, and LawHelp.org (lawhelp.org) has state self-help information; whether a local program takes workers' compensation cases varies. Your state bar's lawyer referral service can connect you with a workers' compensation lawyer.

Guides for your state

Questions

Tell your employer about the injury in Vermont: what is the rule?

Tell your employer about the injury immediately. The law requires notice to your employer as soon as practicable after the injury. If the injury developed over time, tell your employer as soon as you are aware of it. (21 V.S.A. §§ 656, 660)

File the workers' compensation claim in Vermont: what is the rule?

The law says a claim for compensation should be made within 6 months after the injury, but a late claim is not barred if your employer knew about the accident or was not harmed by the delay, and no claim is needed if compensation is being paid voluntarily. In all cases, proceedings to start a claim cannot be begun more than 3 years after the date of injury. If the insurer stops paying and denies the claim after paying voluntarily, you must start proceedings within 6 months from the date of denial. (21 V.S.A. §§ 656, 660)

Dispute a denial in Vermont: what is the rule?

Proceedings to start a claim must begin within 3 years of the injury (2 years from discovery for an occupational disease). If the insurer denies a claim after paying voluntarily, start proceedings within 6 months of the denial. An appeal of the Commissioner's award to Superior Court must be filed within 30 days after copies of the award are sent. (21 V.S.A. §§ 656(c), 660, 670, 672)

OSHA whistleblower complaint if you were fired or punished for reporting the injury: what is the rule?

Within 30 days after the action (29 U.S.C. 660(c)(2)). Covers private-sector employers and the Postal Service, not other government employers (29 U.S.C. 652(5)). Your state may also have its own retaliation deadline.

Federal employees: notice to supervisor and claim: what is the rule?

Written notice within 30 days; claim within 3 years of the injury (5 U.S.C. 8119, 8122)

Longshore and harbor workers: notice and claim: what is the rule?

Written notice (Form LS-201) within 30 days; claim (Form LS-203) within 1 year after the injury or the last voluntary payment, whichever is later (33 U.S.C. 912, 913)

When should I talk to a lawyer?

Your claim was denied or your payments stopped and the dispute deadline is coming; You were fired, demoted or threatened after reporting the injury; The insurer offers a settlement and you don't understand what you would give up; You can't go back to your old job, or the injury may be permanent; Your employer says it has no workers' compensation insurance or that you are an independent contractor; Someone other than your employer (for example a driver or equipment maker) may also be responsible.

How much does it cost?

There is generally no fee to file a workers' compensation claim or a dispute with the state agency, and the agency's help line is free. In most states a lawyer's fee in a workers' compensation case must be approved by the agency or a judge and is often limited to a share of the benefits; in some states the employer or insurer may have to pay it. Your state page explains the rule.

Plans by state

Open the plan with one state's rules filled in:

Sources

Plan checked Oct 2026. Independently fact-checked 2026-10-31.

This plan is general legal information, not legal advice. RobinClaim is not a law firm. Laws and deadlines change and have exceptions: check with the official source or a lawyer or legal aid office about your own case. How we research.