(ThyBlackMan.com) If you are looking for the longest-running insurance program in the U.S, look no further than Workers Compensation, which has been providing a framework for dealing with workplace injuries for many years and has witnessed many industrial changes over that time.
Although the compensation system is well established, it can often require the services of a firm of lawyers such as marksandharrison.com to produce a satisfactory ruling, but it is not always apparent who actually ends up paying.
Compensation when it is due
Most jobs carry some sort of inherent risk attached to them but although being a steel worker on an industrial rig is likely to be statistically more dangerous than being an office worker, everyone who is employed still requires a level of protection when they are injured.
Workers compensation is designed to offer access to financial 
help and compensation when an employee becomes injured as a result of an employer’s or a fellow worker’s negligence, without the need to resort to litigation in order to get what you are entitled to.
These guaranteed benefits for workers are offered on the basis that they agree to abide to the main premise of the scheme, which is often referred to as a compensation bargain or exclusive remedy.
In return for a worker agreeing to accept these clearly defined benefits, employers are not allowed to try and evade paying the level of compensation due, in the event of a claim.
Workers compensation is designed to provide cover for injuries sustained in the workplace, together with any illnesses or long-term exposure to hazardous or unduly strenuous conditions.
Who pays?
In simple terms, workers compensation benefits are paid for, in some form or another, by either the employer themselves, or the state.
If you are in receipt of workers compensation benefits, they may be coming from the state government, the insurance company used by your employer, a third-party administrator, or your employer themselves.
The source of your compensation will not unduly affect the benefits you are entitled to, which should be exactly the same irrespective of whatever route that the money takes in order to reach you.
State-Run
The majority of states will see employers choosing to obtain workers compensation insurance through either a state-run program or an insurance fund.
It often follows that if your employer is not a large concern and doesn’t have hundreds or thousands of workers, they will often choose to use a state-run program.
Insurance companies
Most states will permit an employer to choose an alternative workers compensation scheme that is being offered by an insurance company, rather than subscribe to the state-run fund.
There are a number of insurance companies that provide this cover, although some states, with Washington the notable exception, that does not allow this.
Self-insured
If you are working for a major employer who has sufficient assets to comfortably cover any compensation claim made against them, they do have the option to choose self-insurance.
The major point to consider when it comes to employers with self-insurance, is that they often have the financial resources to try and dispute claims, so you could end up needing a lawyer to get what you are entitled to if they don’t play ball as far as you are concerned.
Staff Writer; Paul James