Questions injured workers ask before they call.
We represent injured workers across Wisconsin from our office in Elm Grove, just west of Milwaukee. Our clients come from Milwaukee, Waukesha, Brookfield, Racine, Kenosha, Madison, Green Bay, and communities throughout the state.
Yes. Workers’ compensation is all we do. That focus means we know how Wisconsin insurers evaluate claims, which doctors they rely on, and where disputes tend to start.
No. Wisconsin workers’ comp is a no-fault system, so you can receive benefits even if you made a mistake that led to the injury. Benefits can be denied only in narrow situations, such as an intentional self-injury, horseplay you started, or a voluntary off-duty activity.
Tell your supervisor right away, even if the injury seems minor. Wisconsin law expects notice within 30 days, and a claim can be denied if your employer was not told within two years. Prompt reporting also makes it harder for the insurer to question whether the injury happened at work.
For most injuries, a claim stays open for six years from the date of injury or the last benefit payment, whichever is later. Occupational diseases and certain serious traumatic injuries have no time limit, and Act 145 added shoulder replacements and reverse shoulder replacements to that list for injuries on or after April 1, 2026. Deadlines depend on your facts, so talk to us before assuming you have time.
Wisconsin workers’ comp pays for reasonable and necessary medical treatment, wage loss while you heal, permanent disability if you do not fully recover, and vocational retraining when you cannot return to your old job. Families of workers killed on the job can receive death benefits and burial expenses.
Temporary disability pays two-thirds of your average weekly wage, up to $1,375 per week for 2026 injuries. Benefits start after a three-day waiting period, and those three days are paid back if you are off work more than seven days. You can get a rough estimate with our Workers’ Comp Calculator.
Yes. Wisconsin lets you pick your first and second treating doctors, as long as they are licensed and practicing in the state. The insurer can still send you to its own examining doctor, and that exam is often where disputes over restrictions and permanent disability begin.
A denial is not the final word. We can file an application for hearing with the Department of Workforce Development, which took back workers’ comp hearings on January 1, 2026, and present your case to an administrative law judge. Most disputed claims settle before a formal hearing, but we prepare every case as if it will be tried.
Wisconsin law protects you from discrimination for filing a claim. If your employer refuses to rehire you without reasonable cause when suitable work within your restrictions is available, you may be owed up to one year of lost wages.
A job title or a 1099 does not decide whether you are covered. Wisconsin looks at how the work was actually done, and Act 145 now treats misclassifying employees to lower insurance premiums as criminal insurance fraud. If your employer had no insurance at all, the state’s Uninsured Employers Fund can pay benefits.
Yes, and coverage grew in 2026. Act 145 extended the PTSD protections already in place for law enforcement and full-time firefighters to all firefighters, EMS practitioners, and emergency medical responders, including part-time and volunteer responders.
Your consultation is free, and you pay nothing unless we recover benefits for you. Wisconsin law caps attorney fees in workers’ comp cases at 20 percent, and the state must approve the fee before it is paid.
Call 414-414-4814 or request a free consultation through our contact form. We will review your injury, explain where your claim stands, and tell you what comes next, before you sign anything with the insurance company.