The Program answers approximately 10,000 phone calls annually from employers and employees requesting information on wage payment issues and workers' rights. The Workers' Compensation Division's mission is to insure that workers who are injured because of their work receive medical and disability compensation from their employer or their employer's insurer, without regard to fault on the part of the employee. The Workers' Compensation system was established by the Vermont Legislature in 1915 to compensate and protect employees who suffer personal injury by accident arising out of and in the course of employment and to protect employers by limiting their exposure from lawsuits arising out of such injuries. It covers both traumatic injuries caused by sudden accidents and gradual onset injuries resulting from repetitive motion or stress. Almost all of Vermont's 250,000 workers must be covered by the system.
Most employers secure coverage by purchasing workers' compensation insurance.
A limited class of employers may be approved as self-insurers. The Division works to ensure that injured employees promptly receive the compensation and other benefits to which they are entitled and that unjust claims are denied. In addition, the Division processes all injury reports, reviews and approves all compensation agreements, oversees payment, establishes the maximum allowable payments for medical care through a fee schedule, and monitors insurance company compliance. Disputes between employees and insurance companies are mediated by the Division. The Division also is responsible for conducting an annual survey of injuries and illnesses and occupational fatalities for the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor.