A lifting injury may seem manageable until the pain worsens and missed shifts reduce your paycheck. When treatment costs begin adding to that lost income, uncertainty about filing deadlines can place further pressure on your family.
If you suffered harm at work, knowing the filing period may protect your ability to seek medical and wage-loss benefits. It can also help you record what happened before memories fade or documents disappear.
When the two-year deadline begins
In Michigan, you generally have two years to make a workers’ compensation claim. You can make the claim orally or in writing to your employer. You may instead submit a written claim to the state agency electronically or on its required form.
The two-year period does not always begin on the accident date. The law generally measures the period from the latest applicable date, which can be the injury date, the date your disability appears or your last day working for that employer. Physical or mental incapacity may change when the period begins. Qualifying disability payments or favored work could extend it.
How to provide notice to your employer
You also need to notify your employer within 90 days after the injury occurs or after you knew or reasonably should have known about it. The law may excuse late notice unless your employer proves that the delay harmed its ability to respond.
Even with that possible exception, prompt reporting often creates a clearer record and helps show how your condition relates to your job. These steps can document when and how you gave notice:
- Tell a supervisor or manager as soon as possible.
- Complete your employer’s accident or incident report.
- Send an email or letter that describes the event, symptoms and date.
- Keep a copy of the report and note who received it.
After you report the injury, medical care often becomes the next concern. The state explains that medical benefits generally become available from the date of injury. Your employer typically has the right to select your doctor during the first 28 days of treatment. At the end of that period, you may change doctors if you notify your employer and its insurer, preferably in writing.
Why you need to meet both requirements
Reporting and filing are separate duties, so completing one does not necessarily satisfy the other. Missing a deadline could limit benefits that help cover treatment and part of your lost earnings.
An attorney can review which date controls and explain any exception that could apply. That legal guidance may be especially useful when symptoms emerged slowly, your employer contests notice or the insurer denies payment.