Hurt at work?
You have rights. Use them.
Missouri workers’ compensation is a no-fault system designed to pay injured workers medical care and partial wage replacement — but it is also a system designed by employers and insurers to pay you as little as possible. Deadlines are tight. Documentation matters. The wrong move in the first thirty days can cost you the case before it even begins. We make sure injured Missouri workers receive every benefit the law provides.
Every stage of the Missouri
workers' comp claim process.
Initial Claim Filing
We file your Notice of Injury, your Claim for Compensation, and all supporting documentation with the Missouri Division of Workers’ Compensation.
Authorized Medical Treatment
Missouri requires you to treat with the employer's authorized provider. We make sure that requirement is honored — and challenge denials when treatment is unreasonably delayed or refused.
Temporary Disability Benefits (TTD)
Two-thirds of your average weekly wage while you cannot work. We make sure the benefits are calculated correctly and continue throughout your recovery.
Permanent Disability Awards
When treatment plateaus at maximum medical improvement, your case is rated for permanent partial or total disability. Proper documentation here can multiply the award by 5-10x.
Second Injury Fund Claims
Where a pre-existing condition combines with a new work injury to produce a worse disability than either alone, the Second Injury Fund may owe additional benefits.
Denied Claim Appeals
When the carrier denies your claim, we file the appeal and take the case before an Administrative Law Judge with the Missouri Division of Workers’ Compensation.
Occupational Disease
Long-term exposure cases — repetitive trauma, asbestos, hearing loss, occupational asthma, chemical exposure. Different rules than acute injury claims.
Third-Party Liability
Where a non-employer third party caused or contributed to the work injury (defective equipment, negligent driver, contractor on the same job site), a separate personal injury claim may be available alongside the workers’ comp case.
The difference
an experienced lawyer makes.
The First 30 Days Decide Everything
Missouri requires the employee to report a work injury to the employer within 30 days. Late reporting is the single most common reason workers’ comp claims are denied. Even a one-day delay can cost benefits. We handle the notification and documentation correctly the first time.
Maximum Medical Improvement Is Not the End
When the doctor says you have reached "MMI," the carrier wants to close the file. But MMI is the moment your case is rated — and how that rating is documented can multiply your permanent disability award. We make sure the rating reflects your actual loss.
Second Injury Fund Cases Are Frequently Missed
Workers with prior injuries or pre-existing conditions are entitled to additional Second Injury Fund benefits when a new work injury combines with the prior condition. Most claimants — and many lawyers — miss this entirely.
Free Consultation — No Obligation
We sit with you, walk through what happened, review the medical records and the carrier's correspondence, and explain your options before you decide whether to hire us. No charge for that first conversation — and no obligation to retain the firm.
What happens
when you call us.
Free Consultation
A free phone or office consultation to review the injury, the employer's response, and the medical treatment so far. Same-day callbacks.
Notice & Filing
We make sure the Notice of Injury was filed correctly. If not, we file it. We also file the Claim for Compensation with the Division.
Medical & Wage Documentation
We obtain all medical records, work them up with the treating physicians, and document the wage loss. This is the foundation of every successful claim.
Settlement or Hearing
Most cases resolve through settlement once the carrier sees a properly documented claim. Cases that should not are heard before the Administrative Law Judge.
Frequently asked
questions.
Not always. Simple claims that the employer accepts and pays without dispute can be handled without counsel. But the moment a claim is denied, treatment is delayed, the wage calculation is wrong, or you reach maximum medical improvement with permanent restrictions, the value of legal representation typically far exceeds its cost. Most cases benefit from at least an initial consultation.
Thirty days from the date of injury — though immediate reporting (the same day, in writing) is strongly preferred. For occupational diseases or repetitive trauma, the clock starts when you knew or should have known the condition was work-related. Late reporting is the single most common basis for denial.
Generally no. Missouri allows the employer to direct medical treatment, meaning you must see the employer's authorized provider for the injury to be covered by workers’ comp. You can see your own doctor on your own dime, but those records may not be admissible. Where the authorized provider is unreasonable or unavailable, we challenge the directive.
MMI is the point at which your medical condition has stabilized — additional treatment is unlikely to produce significant further improvement. It does not mean you are cured. It means your case is now ready to be rated for permanent disability. The way MMI is documented determines the value of your permanent award, often dramatically.
It depends on the body part injured, the level of permanent impairment, your average weekly wage, and whether you can return to your prior work. Cases range from a few thousand dollars (minor injuries with full recovery) to mid-six figures (catastrophic injuries with permanent disability). We give realistic ranges at the consultation.
No. Missouri Section 287.780 prohibits an employer from discriminating or retaliating against an employee for filing a workers’ comp claim. Retaliation creates a separate cause of action with its own remedies. If you have been fired or demoted after filing a claim, call us.