Workers’ Compensation Resources for Employees / Injured Employees
Recursos Informativos para Empleados / Empleado Lesionado En español
What is Workers’ Compensation?
Workers’ compensation is a state-regulated insurance program that provides covered employees with income and medical benefits if they sustain a work-related injury or illness. Texas private employers can choose whether or not to provide workers’ compensation insurance coverage for their employees. In most cases, your employer is required to notify you whether or not they provide coverage.
Workers’ compensation pays your medical bills and replaces a portion of your lost wages if: you are injured at work or have a work-related illness; and your employer has workers’ compensation insurance coverage under the Texas Workers’ Compensation Act, Title 5, Subtitle A, Labor Code.
Who is the Division of Workers’ Compensation?
The Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation (TDI-DWC) is a state agency that regulates the delivery of workers’ compensation benefits to injured employees and to eligible family members of employees killed on the job. The TDI-DWC also helps resolve disputes about claims and provides workplace safety and health services. The TDI-DWC does not pay benefits. Benefits are paid by workers’ compensation insurance companies, by employers certified by the TDI-DWC to self-insure, by groups of employers certified by TDI to self-insure, or by self-insured governmental entities.
You may request assistance from the TDI-DWC by calling 1-800-252-7031.
To learn more, come to one of our Navigating Your Claim workshops at any of our Texas field offices.
Who is the Office of Injured Employee Counsel?
The Office of Injured Employee Counsel (OIEC) is the state agency created to advocate for the injured employees of Texas. OIEC assists injured employees by: educating and providing general assistance to injured employees regarding the workers’ compensation system; providing an ombudsman once a dispute proceeding has been scheduled to assist the injured employee throughout the dispute process; referring injured employees complaints to the appropriate entities and licensing boards; and providing injured employee referrals to other local, state and federal agencies, including the Department of Assistive & Rehabilitative Services (DARS), as appropriate.
You may request assistance from the Office of Injured Employee Counsel by calling 1-866-EZE-OIEC (1-866-393-6432).
Resources for Employees
- Notice of Injury packet:
- Frequently-Asked Questions
- Benefits - Information about the different types of workers’ compensation benefits available.
- Dispute Resolution - Information about the process to resolve a dispute about a work-related injury.
- Safety Violations Hotline - Report unsafe working conditions or violations of safety regulations by calling 800-452-9595 or report a hazard online.
- Office of Injured Employee Counsel - Assists injured employees with workers’ compensation disputes.
- Return-to-Work: Getting Back to Work After Your Injury
- Complaints - File a complaint regarding a workers’ compensation claim.
For assistance with a workers’ compensation claim, please contact Claims & Customer Services at 800-252-7031, option 1.
Last updated: 03/07/2017