Utah Workers’ Comp Benefits Guide for Injured Employees

Important: We updated this article with current Utah workers’ compensation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics in January 2025. Utahns have some amazing industries to choose from when it comes to career paths, but many pose significant injury risks. Think: mining, cattle ranching, and anything related to oil and gas drilling, or petrochemical refinement. Many injured workers in the Beehive State can qualify for Utah workers’ comp, but not all.

Keep reading to learn who’s covered by Utah workers compensation insurance, who’s exempt, how to file your claim, and more helpful info.

How Do I Know Whether I Have Utah Workers’ Compensation Insurance Coverage?

Most Utah employers with at least one employee must carry workers compensation insurance. Most full-time workers are covered on day one. Employees who are automatically exempt from this workers’ comp coverage requirement include the following:

• Real estate brokers
• Household domestic workers (i.e., babysitters, nannies, etc.)
• “Casual” or seasonal employees
• Certain small agricultural operations employees
• Federal or state employees
• Independent contractors
• Sole proprietors
• Corporations, LLCs, and partnerships with 0 employees other than the partners themselves (unless you’re covered under the Utah Construction Trades Licensing Act)

How Do I File a Utah Workers’ Comp Claim?

If your work injury or illness is life-threatening, seek urgent medical care immediately. Otherwise, be sure to report it to your supervisor before receiving any medical treatment.

Pro Tip: Once you arrive, tell the doctor you see that your injury or illness is work-related.

1. Notify your supervisor or employer of your work-related injury immediately, preferably in writing, and before you seek treatment.

An employee injured on the job must report the incident within 180 days to qualify for benefits. Be aware that delaying your work injury report could make you ineligible for workers’ comp benefits. Your employer then has 7 days to notify their insurance company if you have any medical costs.

2. Ask your employer for a list of workers’ compensation healthcare providers authorized to treat you and choose one.

If no such list exists, then you’re free to see any doctor you prefer for medical care (including your own). Then, get the care you need as soon as possible. Once you see a doctor, that provider can tell you whether it’s okay for you to go back to work or not.

Important: If your injury doesn’t result in medical expenses, then you cannot file a Utah workers’ comp claim for benefits.

3. Your employer files Form 123, Physician’s Initial Report of Injury with their insurer and the Utah Labor Commission.

After submitting that form, the insurance carrier has 14 days to notify Utah’s Industrial Accidents Division. State law requires your employer’s insurance company to give you a copy of this form for your records.

4. If approved, you’ll qualify for payments that partially cover your lost wages once you miss 4 work shifts.

Your first 3 days off are always unpaid unless you cannot go back to work for at least 2 weeks. After 15 days off, however, the insurance carrier will retroactively pay you for those first 3 days of missed work. Don’t need time off work to recover from a work-related injury? Then you’re only eligible for medical benefits that cover your doctor’s bills and related costs.

The workers’ compensation insurance company has 21 days to either approve or deny your claim. The insurer may also request a 45-day extension during this period, if needed.

5. Denied Utah workers’ comp? File an Application for Hearing with the Commission’s Adjudication Division to appeal.

Always contact your claims adjuster first to see if you can resolve the issue directly. If that doesn’t work, you can always request an appeals hearing to try and resolve your dispute. Once you complete and file the required forms, your employer and their insurance carrier must respond within 30 days. Then, you’ll wait at least another 120 days for your scheduled hearing date.

Learn more from the Utah Labor Commission’s Employee’s Guide to Workers’ Compensation here.

What Are Utah Workers’ Compensation Benefits?

Approved claims under the Utah Workers’ Compensation Act cover necessary medical treatments and associated expenses. Once you pass the required wait period, you may also receive lost wage benefits. Families of employees killed on the job may also qualify for death benefits for a period of time.

Medical Expenses

Utah workers’ comp insurance pays for all medical costs related to your injury or illness, such as prescriptions, surgery, physical therapy, etc. So, you’ll never have to pay those out of your own pocket once you have an approved claim.

Indemnity Benefits to Cover Your Partial Lost Wages

Your lost-wage benefits depend how long you’re unable to work at all, and the number of dependents you support:

• Temporary Partial Disability is a weekly benefit you’ll get when your illness or injury limits you to part-time or light duty work. It pays 66 2/3% of the difference in your pre- and post-injury work salaries for no more than 12 years from your injury date.
• Temporary Total Disability pays 66 2/3% of your average weekly wage (AWW) until you can start working again, but no more than 312 weeks.
• Permanent Partial Disability pays a set amount based on your injury impairment percentage once you reach maximum medical improvement (MMI).
• Permanent Total Disability qualifies you for up to 312 weeks of TTD payments if you can never work in any job again for life. If this happens to you, then you may wish to apply for Utah disability benefits from the Social Security Administration.

In addition to the above, each eligible dependent in your household (up to a maximum of 5) provides another $20 in compensation.

Death Benefits

An eligible deceased worker’s family may receive up to $9,000 for funeral and burial expenses from the former employer’s insurance carrier. Utah workers’ compensation insurance should also provide weekly TTD payments after an employee dies. Dependent families may receive cash payments in death benefits for up to 312 weeks, or until the surviving spouse spouse remarries.

Get more details on what workers’ compensation benefits will generally cover in every state.

Recent Utah Workers’ Comp Claim Statistics

The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases workers’ comp data on most U.S. states and territories every two years. Here’s how the Utah workers’ compensation program changed in recent years:

All categories were stable through 2019. But the number of recordable cases plummeted between 2019 and 2020. So did the volume of claims in the service sector. This is mostly because of COVID-19 restrictions. Interestingly, the number of employees who missed work, transferred, or received restrictions remained largely unchanged.

As you can see, annual claims are essentially back to normal after a historic dip during the 2020 pandemic. Since then, total workers’ comp claims rebounded 11%. Claims from service-industry workers saw the largest drop during this period, falling 19% from 2019 to 2020. However, claims from service workers rose 12% between 2020 and 2023, returning back to mostly normal levels.

Surprisingly, claims from workers who missed work, had restrictions, or transferred jobs remained largely unchanged from 2019-2023.

How to Get Legal Assistance

Injured employees may want to hire an experienced attorney to help appeal a denied claim. Remember, workers’ comp attorneys charge $0 unless they help you secure benefits. If your case wins, then you only pay one small fee.

Want a free consultation about your case? Click the button below to start your free online benefits quiz and see if you may qualify:

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