Nevada’s workers’ compensation system exists to do one thing: get injured workers medical care and wage replacement without having to prove anyone was at fault. If you were hurt doing your job — in a casino, on a construction site, in a warehouse, a restaurant, an office, or anywhere else — you are almost certainly covered, regardless of who caused the injury and even if the accident was partly your own fault.
In practice, the system does not always work as smoothly as it should. Claims get denied, medical treatment gets delayed, and injured workers are pressured to return before they are ready. That is when having an attorney who knows the system makes the difference.
The Benefits You Are Entitled To
- Medical treatment for your work injury, with no deductible or co-pay, through authorized providers.
- Temporary disability payments replacing a portion of your wages while you are off work recovering.
- Permanent partial disability compensation if your injury leaves a lasting impairment.
- Vocational rehabilitation or retraining if you cannot return to your previous work.
- Death benefits for dependents when a work injury is fatal.
Deadlines That Can Make or Break Your Claim
Nevada’s workers’ compensation system runs on short deadlines, and missing them can cost you your benefits:
- 7 days — report your injury to your employer in writing (the C-1 form) within seven days of the accident (NRS 616C.015).
- 90 days — file your claim for compensation (the C-4 form, completed with your doctor at your first treatment visit) within ninety days of the injury (NRS 616C.020).
- 30 days — the insurer must accept or deny your claim within thirty days (NRS 616C.065).
- 70 days — if your claim is denied, you generally have seventy days from the mailing of the denial to request a hearing (NRS 616C.345).
If any of these windows has closed or is about to, talk to us immediately — options may still exist, but the sooner the better.
When a Third Party Is Also Responsible
Workers’ compensation is usually the “exclusive remedy” against your employer — you cannot also sue your employer for negligence. But many work injuries are caused by someone other than the employer: a negligent driver who hits you while you’re making deliveries, a subcontractor on a construction site, the manufacturer of defective equipment. In those situations you may have both a workers’ compensation claim and a personal injury lawsuit, and the two together can provide substantially fuller compensation than workers’ comp alone. Evaluating that possibility is a routine part of how we review every work-injury case.
Consultations are free, and you pay no attorney’s fee unless we recover benefits or compensation for you. If you’ve been hurt on the job anywhere in Southern Nevada, call 702-737-0000. Hablamos español.