Wisconsin Workers’ Compensation Act

Wisconsin’s Workers’ Compensation Act covers nearly every employer in the state. Technically, it covers:

all public employers, and private employers with 3 or more employees, though private employers with fewer than 3 employees are covered if they pay $500 or more for services in any calendar quarter.

A qualified employee who sustains a workplace injury may be entitled to temporary or permanent disability benefits, payment of related medical expenses, and retraining benefits if the employee is unable to return to the same type of employment. The employer has an affirmative duty to put an employee back to work if suitable work is available within any limitations the employee may have sustained. An unreasonable refusal to rehire an employee may subject the employer to a penalty of up to one year of the employee’s wages.