If you truly were an independent contractor, you are not entitled to worker's compensation: only employees get worker's comp, but contractors are not employees. Sometimes, though, a person is incorrectly labeled ("misclassified") as an independent contractor when they should actually be considered an employee; if that is the case, they could get worker's compensation and may be entitled to other compensation, too (such as to have the employer reimburse them for that portion of social security, medicare, etc. taxes which an employer pays for an employee; for the value of other benefits which an employee would have gotten, but which they, because they were misclassified, did not). Go to the U.S. Dept. of Labor website and look up "independent contractor": you will find criteria there for when someone is and is not an independent contractor. Compare to your situation. If you believe after doing so that you really should have been considered an employee, consult with an employment law attorney about not just bringing your claim for the worker's compensation, but also for other compensation to which you may be entitled.