Workers Comp Glossary
105 terms you might run into during a claim, explained in plain language — not legal jargon.
Medical & Disability Terms
- Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI)
- Independent Medical Examination (IME)
- Qualified Medical Evaluator (QME)
- Permanent Partial Disability (PPD)
- Permanent Total Disability (PTD)
- Temporary Total Disability (TTD)
- Temporary Partial Disability (TPD)
- Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE)
- Impairment Rating
- AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment
- Light Duty / Modified Duty
- Return to Work (RTW)
- Vocational Rehabilitation
- Second Opinion
- Treating Physician
- Utilization Review (UR)
- Independent Bill Review (IBR)
- Apportionment
- Pre-Existing Condition
- Aggravation of Injury
Legal & Process Terms
- Exclusive Remedy
- Statute of Limitations
- Notice of Injury
- First Report of Injury (FROI)
- Compromise and Release (C&R)
- Stipulated Award / Stipulation
- Petition for Reconsideration
- Hearing (Workers' Comp)
- Mediation
- Administrative Law Judge (ALJ)
- Board Review
- Appeal
- Deposition
- Discovery (Legal)
- Subrogation
- Third-Party Claim
- Bad Faith Claim
- Retaliation Claim
- Fraud (Workers' Comp)
- Reopening a Claim
Benefit & Wage Terms
- Average Weekly Wage (AWW)
- State Average Weekly Wage (SAWW)
- Compensation Rate
- Weekly Benefit Maximum
- Weekly Benefit Minimum
- Waiting Period
- Retroactive Pay
- Death Benefits
- Dependency Benefits
- Burial Allowance
- Supplemental Job Displacement Benefit (SJDB)
- Vocational Rehabilitation Maintenance Allowance (VRMA)
- Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA)
- Scheduled Loss / Scheduled Injury
- Non-Scheduled Injury
- Lump Sum Settlement
- Structured Settlement
- Offset (Workers' Comp)
- Social Security Disability Offset
- Wage Loss Benefits
Claim Administration Terms
- Claims Adjuster
- Third-Party Administrator (TPA)
- Self-Insured Employer
- Monopolistic State Fund
- Assigned Risk Pool
- Experience Modification Rate (EMR / Mod)
- NCCI (National Council on Compensation Insurance)
- Employer's First Report
- Denial of Claim
- Reservation of Rights
- Claim Number
- Case Manager
- Nurse Case Manager
- Panel of Physicians
- Medical Provider Network (MPN)
- Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM)
- Fee Schedule
- Explanation of Review (EOR)
- Lien (Workers' Comp)
- Penalty (Late Payment)
Employment & Coverage Terms
- Employee vs. Independent Contractor
- Course and Scope of Employment
- Arising Out of Employment (AOE)
- Going and Coming Rule
- Horseplay Doctrine
- Intoxication Defense
- Idiopathic Injury
- Occupational Disease
- Repetitive Trauma / Cumulative Trauma
- Coming and Going Exception
- Dual Employment
- Loaned Employee
- Statutory Employer
- Uninsured Employer
- Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA)