Workers' Compensation laws provide employees with medical treatment and compensation for lost time from work for qualifying work-related injuries or conditions.   

All North Carolina State Government employees including paid full-time, part-time, and temporary (hired via OSHR Temporary Solutions) employees, university employees, community college employees paid with State funds, all State elected officials, members of the General Assembly, and those appointed by the Governor to serve on a per diem, part-time or fee basis.   

State law provides medical and disability compensation including a weekly compensation benefit for time lost from work which is 66 2/3% of the employee's average weekly wage up to a maximum established annually by the North Carolina Industrial Commission.  

No disability compensation is due for lost work time during the first seven consecutive or non-consecutive calendar days an employee is out of work due to restrictions assigned by an authorized treating physician. During this seven-day waiting period, employees may elect to go on leave without pay or use any sick or vacation leave accrued prior to the injury.  A detailed explanation of leave options and continuation of other benefits is available in the OSHR Workers' Compensation policy.

Agencies are responsible for administering their own programs including funding medical treatment and lost wages compensation.  A Third-Party Administrator (TPA) contracted by the state handles individual workers' compensation claims for Cabinet and Council of State agencies, the UNC System, state funded Community Colleges employees, the judicial branch (Administrative Office of the Courts), the legislative branch (NC General Assembly), and several Boards and Commissions. 

An employee who is injured on the job or contracts an occupational disease as defined in the Workers' Compensation Act must notify their supervisor immediately and complete the proper forms as soon as possible. An explanation of workers' compensation coverage, including injured employees' benefits, rights, and duties may be found in the NC State Government Workers' Compensation Employee Handbook.

In the case of an injury causing a life-threatening emergency, the supervisor or other person present should call 911.

For non-emergency treatment, the supervisor should refer the injured employee for immediate medical treatment and notify the agency Workers' Compensation Administrator, or designee, that the injury has occurred as soon as possible.  Workers’ Compensation Administrators should regularly provide supervisors with updated information regarding in-network medical providers near worksites to send injured employees for non-emergency medical treatment.  Some agencies/ facilities utilize in-house medical treatment facilities instead. 

Supervisors may also be required to obtain out of work notes from injured employees and provide them to their agency’s  Workers’ Compensation Administrator if an authorized treating physician assigns work restrictions.  For more information about supervisor’s duties see the NC State Government Workers' Compensation Supervisor Handbook.

The following primary responsibilities are typically handled by the agency Workers' Compensation Administrator:

• Administer an effective and efficient Workers' Compensation program including comprehensive return to work program.
• Instruct employees and supervisors to provide notice of injuries in a timely manner.
• Coordinate Workers' Compensation claims incident investigations with  agency safety staff and TPA.
• Effectively communicate OSHR and agency Workers' Compensation policy and procedures to all employees.
• Facilitate good employee relations with respect to workers' compensation claims.
• Maintain a  working knowledge of state Workers' Compensation law and Industrial Commission rules, regulations, and procedures. (OSHR has developed a comprehensive set of Workers’ Compensation Administrator training modules available on demand in the NC Learning Center.)
• Proactively communicate with agency staff, TPA staff, OSHR workers’ compensation staff, Attorney General’s office, injured employee’s supervisor, and others involved in claims handling to assist as needed with claim compensability determination, potential subrogation, ongoing claim handling, settlements, and claim closure.
• Review TPA billing for agency claims for accuracy. 
• Transfer funds in payment of monthly TPA and claim cost invoices per OSC procedures.