Kansas Workers’ Compensation Guide 2026
Understand injury notice, authorized care, weekly checks, hearing applications, benefit limits and free KDOL assistance.
Coverage depends on the employer and the work
Kansas generally requires workers’ compensation coverage when an employer’s gross annual payroll exceeds $20,000, subject to agricultural and other statutory exceptions. Government employers and certain hazardous activities can be covered under separate rules. Employee status, payroll and interstate work should be checked rather than assumed.
Ask the employer for the carrier or self-insurance contact. KDOL regulates the system and provides consultants, but the state does not usually pay a private employee’s claim.
Report the accident promptly and preserve proof
Give the employer written notice as soon as possible. Kansas notice rules can depend on when medical treatment was sought and on statutory exceptions, so do not treat an outer deadline as a recommended waiting period. Identify the date, place, mechanism and every affected body part.
Keep the sent notice, witness details, photographs, schedules, pay records, medical restrictions, mileage and every carrier communication. The employer’s accident report does not itself decide compensability or protect every hearing deadline.
The employer generally directs authorized medical care
KDOL states that the employer or carrier has the right to select authorized treating providers and must furnish care reasonably necessary to cure or relieve the effects of the injury. There are no ordinary deductibles or copayments for authorized care.
A worker may seek unauthorized treatment, but the carrier’s liability is limited; KDOL currently identifies an $800 allowance and recommends notifying the adjuster first. That allowance cannot be used to obtain a disability rating.
Weekly benefits use two-thirds formulas and July rate periods
TTD generally equals 66⅔% of AWW, subject to the applicable minimum and maximum. The current maximum is $905 for accidents from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. TPD generally equals 66⅔% of the eligible wage difference and does not force the TTD minimum onto a small partial loss.
Seven initial days are generally unpaid. When disability lasts three consecutive weeks, compensation may become payable for the first week. Permanent awards, death benefits and total compensation caps use additional schedules and rules.
KDOL consultants can explain the process; an ALJ decides disputes
Start with the adjuster and request a written explanation of any denial, AWW calculation, treatment refusal or benefit suspension. KDOL Workers Compensation Consultants provide impartial information and informal assistance, including mediation, but do not give legal advice.
A formal dispute can require an application for hearing and proceedings before an administrative law judge. Appeals have their own procedures. Filing periods and proof requirements are claim-specific, so protect the earliest plausible deadline even while discussing resolution.
Kansas Division of Workers Compensation
401 SW Topeka Blvd., Topeka, KS 66603-3105 · 785-296-4000, option 2 · kdol.wc@ks.gov.
Visit Kansas DWC →Official sources
- KDOL injuries at work and worker FAQs.
- KDOL guides and forms.
- KDOL historical benefit levels.
- Kansas Statutes, chapter 44.
Educational information only; not legal advice.