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Workers’ compensation has been created to protect workers in the case of an injury incurred at work. But if you already have a pre-existing condition, you may be wondering how workers’ compensation insurance affects you. Unfortunately, this can affect your settlement, as insurance companies tend to deny any claim they can, and they can use your pre-existing condition as a reason for denial.

When involved in a workplace accident or suffering a work-related illness, getting adequate medical treatment is important to help you recover fully. Your doctor will provide medical treatment, set work restrictions, recommend lifestyle changes, or refer you to a specialist if necessary. If you don't like the doctor you were referred to or if your health condition isn't improving, you may be eligible to change physicians.

For most people in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Wasilla, and Palmer, Alaska, going to work and returning home requires some sort of commute.

In the last couple of years, it’s become more and more common for people to work remotely. This could be an individual choice they’ve made in their career or a mandate by their employer or state. Whatever the reason, the number of remote workers is on the rise and many people are concerned about their eligibility for benefits like workers’ compensation.

In March 2020, the nation and the world began responding to the spread of a novel coronavirus that the World Health Organization (WHO) named COVID-19. As vaccines against the virus began appearing in November 2020, nations responded by urging citizens to be vaccinated. The United States was one of the quickest to implement free vaccinations for all.

Being involved in a work-related accident can be a difficult and unsettling experience for the victim and their loved ones. Such accidents can cause minor to serious injuries, temporary disability, missed time at work, loss of productivity, or sometimes death.

When you get injured on the job or develop a work-related illness, you have the right to pursue a workers’ compensation claim in Alaska. When filing a workers’ comp claim against your employer’s insurance carrier, you hope that the process will be quick and straightforward so that you don’t have to worry about your inability to pay the bills.

A workplace injury can be a traumatic and expensive event, no matter who was at fault. These injuries may have lasting effects that linger far past the initial incident. Workers’ compensation insurance exists to help you through these times by supplementing your salary and covering medical expenses.

Premiums businesses pay for workers’ compensation insurance continue to go down in Alaska. Why? The Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development attributes the decrease to two major factors — lower medical costs and a reduction in the number of worker claims.

In the latest year for which it has published statistics, the Alaska Division of Workers’ Compensation says there were 17,694 reports of occupational injury and illness in the state in 2018. The vast majority – 79.8 percent were no-lost-time claims, totaling 14,121, the rest, or 3,554 cases, involved time lost from work.