Filing a Workers' Compensation Claim in Maryland: Steps, Deadlines & Benefits

A workplace injury can leave you worried about medical bills and lost income. Workers' compensation exists to help, but the process has strict steps and deadlines — and Maryland's system has its own way of doing things. This guide explains what to do, step by step. It is general information, not legal advice, and every claim is different.

Step 1: Report the injury to your employer right away

Tell your employer about the accident as soon as possible, and put it in writing. Maryland expects notice to your employer within days of an accidental injury — not weeks — and waiting while you "see if it gets better" is one of the most common ways claims get complicated. Note the date, how the injury happened, and who you told.

Step 2: File an Employee Claim with the Maryland Workers' Compensation Commission

This is the step people miss. Telling your employer, or the employer filing its own report with its insurer, is not the same as filing your claim. To protect your rights, you must file an Employee Claim form with the Maryland Workers' Compensation Commission (WCC), and the hard deadline for an accidental injury is generally two years from the date of the accident. Filing is free and can be done online through the Commission's website. Until your claim is on file with the WCC, the clock keeps running — no matter what the insurance company is voluntarily paying.

Step 3: Get medical care — with the doctor you choose

Maryland differs from some neighboring states in an important way: injured workers generally have the right to choose their own treating doctor for a work injury. The workers' compensation insurer pays for reasonable and necessary treatment related to the injury, but it does not get to dictate who treats you. Getting evaluated promptly helps both your recovery and your claim — and keep copies of everything.

What benefits are available

Depending on your situation, Maryland workers' compensation may provide:

• Medical benefits — treatment related to the work injury, for as long as needed.
• Temporary total disability (TTD) — wage replacement of two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to state minimums and maximums, while you cannot work.
• Temporary partial benefits if you return on light duty at lower pay.
• Permanent partial or permanent total disability if the injury leaves lasting impairment, based on medical evaluations and the Commission's schedules.
• Vocational rehabilitation in some cases, if you cannot return to your old job.

Fault generally does not matter — workers' compensation is a no-fault system.

Common reasons Maryland claims go wrong

The patterns we see most: late or verbal-only notice to the employer; no Employee Claim ever filed with the Commission while the deadline runs; gaps in treatment; disputes over whether the injury is work-related; and returning to full duty too soon. If the insurer contests your claim, the case goes to a hearing before a WCC commissioner. A denial is not necessarily the end — but it is far easier to avoid these pitfalls than to fix them later.

When to get a lawyer

If your claim is contested, your checks stop, your injury is serious, a permanency rating is in dispute, or you're being pressured back to work before your doctor releases you, it is worth talking to a lawyer. A consultation is a low-risk way to understand your options.

Our workers' compensation team handles Maryland claims every day and is glad to talk through your situation. This article is general information and not legal advice, and no outcome is ever guaranteed.