Our mission at BWC is to provide a quality, customer-focused workers' compensation insurance system for employers and employees. But we can't do that alone. All parties involved in the workers' compensation process including employers, providers and injured workers, must understand their role in making the system work. Below are your rights and responsibilities as an injured worker.

Rights

• You are entitled to compensation and medical benefits at a level competitive with other states.
• You have the right to hire a lawyer at your own expense.
• You have the right to prompt medical attention funded through the workers' compensation system.
• You have the right to prompt hearings and processing through the administrative appeal process.
• You have the right to compensation after the first hearing even if your claim is contested.
  Note: We have reduced the wait time for that payment from more than one year to less than four months.
• You have the right to appeal administrative decisions.
• You have the right to contest claims in the court system.

Responsibilities

• Remember to use your claim number every time you contact BWC, your managed care organization (MCO) or your self-insuring employer.
• Give your claim number to all doctors treating your work-related injury.
• Contact your claims service specialist in your local customer service office or your self-insuring employer when you have questions. You can also call BWC toll-free at 1-800-OHIOBWC.
• Contact your BWC claims service specialist or your self-insuring employer if another insurance company or anyone else offers you payment for your injury. Why? Because in some cases, you may be required to repay BWC or your self-insuring employer for benefits.
• In many cases, you cannot work and collect benefits at same time. It's illegal. Call BWC immediately if you return to work.