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New Hampshire Workers’ Compensation Statutes & Information
New Hampshire workers’ compensation laws require all employers to have workers’ compensation insurance.1 Workers’ comp provides medical and disability benefits to your employees if they get hurt or sick from their job. It also helps protect your business by limiting your liabilities if work-related accidents happen.You can follow New Hampshire law by getting workers’ comp coverage from a private insurance company like The Hartford.
New Hampshire Workers’ Compensation Coverage & Requirements
A workers’ compensation policy from The Hartford offers a broad range of coverage. This helps protect your New Hampshire business and your employees.What’s covered? New Hampshire workers’ comp insurance can help protect your employees if one of them ever:
- Trips over a chair in the office and has to go to the hospital. Workers’ comp can help cover their medical treatment.
- Gets burned after spilling boiling water. Workers’ comp can provide disability benefits and help replace lost income while they recover.
- Develops carpal tunnel syndrome from years of poor typing habits. Workers’ comp can help cover treatment and reimburse them for prescription costs.
Coverage requirements in New Hampshire say every employer must have workers’ compensation coverage, but there are exceptions to this law.3 4 Certain businesses are not required to have workers’ comp, but only if you’re a sole-proprietor, partner, corporation or limited liability company with less than three executive officers or members.
Although it isn’t required for these businesses, you can still choose to get workers’ comp coverage.5
Proof of coverage, or a certificate of insurance, provides your business with proof that you have workers’ compensation coverage. It can also include important details about your policy. Get a workers’ compensation quote today to make sure your business is following the New Hampshire workers’ compensation laws.
What New Hampshire Workers’ Compensation Covers:
New Hampshire workers’ compensation insurance from The Hartford can help cover:Missed wages if work-related injuries or illnesses cause an employee to take time off to recover.
Repetitive stress injuries that develop over time. Carpal tunnel syndrome is an example of a repetitive stress injury, also known as a repetitive strain injury.
Ongoing care if an employee with a work-related injury or illness needs care beyond the initial treatment, like physical therapy.
Disability benefits if a work-related injury or illness has to keep your employee out of work for a while.
Funeral costs and death benefits to an employee’s beneficiaries if their death was a result from a work-related accident.
New Hampshire Workers’ Compensation Statute of Limitations
Your employees only have a certain amount of time to file a claim for workers’ compensation benefits after sustaining illnesses or injuries occurring from their work. Here are some important workman’s comp laws for your employees to keep in mind:6
- A worker who’s been injured on the job has two years from the date they got hurt to notify you.
- If an illness develops over time, they have two years to notify you from the date they found out the illness is work-related.
- They have three years from the date the injury happened to file a claim for disability, rehabilitation, or medical benefits.
- If the insurance company denies their claim, they have 18 months to request a hearing.
- If four or more years have passed since benefits were last received or denied, they can’t file a claim for compensation.
New Hampshire Workers’ Compensation Payments
For employees who get hurt or sick due to their job, workers’ compensation benefits start on the fourth day of disability.7 There is no three-day waiting period if:8
- The disability continues for 14 days or longer
- They return to a temporary, alternative employment within five days
An employee’s weekly compensation is 60% of their average weekly wage. To determine their average weekly wage, add their gross wages from a 26-to-52 week period before the injury and then divide that by the number of weeks. If they haven’t been working for at least 26 weeks, their starting wage can be used instead. 9
New Hampshire Workers’ Compensation Rates
A business with higher risk, like a logging company, might pay more for workers’ comp than an accounting firm. Several other factors go into deciding what your workers’ compensation policy will cost, including your:
- Business experience
- Payroll
- Industry
If your business is new or has a long history of filing claims, you may not be able to get workers’ comp coverage from a private insurance carrier. Instead, you might have to get workers’ comp coverage through an assigned risk pool. For more information about New Hampshire’s assigned risk pool, visit the Insurance Department’s website or call 603-271-2261.
New Hampshire Workers’ Compensation & First Report of Injury
If one of your employees gets hurt or sick from their work, you must file a First Report of Injury to the Department of Labor within five days of learning about the incident. If you don’t file a First Report of Injury, you can face up to $2,500 in fines.10
Once you fill out the form, you can:
- Fax it to: 603-271-6149
- Mail it to: Workers’ Compensation Division, NH Department of Labor, 95 Pleasant St., Concord, NH 03301
- Email it to: WorkersComp@dol.nh.gov
New Hampshire Workers’ Compensation & Light Duty
Some employees with a work-related injury or illness can return to light-duty work. These employees may receive reduced pay for their work, but workers’ comp benefits can help make up some of their lost income.11
New Hampshire Workers’ Compensation Claims
To file a workers’ compensation claim in New Hampshire, visit our workers’ comp claims page today.
This article provides general information, and should not be construed as specific legal, HR, financial, insurance, tax or accounting advice. As with all matters of a legal or human resources nature, you should consult with your own legal counsel and human resources professionals. The Hartford shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, special, consequential, incidental, punitive or exemplary damages in connection with the use by you or anyone of the information provided herein.
2, 7, 8, 9, 11 New Hampshire Department of Labor, “Workplace Injuries FAQ”