Workers’ Compensation

Denver Workers’ Compensation Lawyer: Colorado Work Injury Claims

If you were hurt on the job in Colorado, the choices you make in the first days after the injury can shape the entire claim. Reporting the injury to your employer in writing, getting treatment through an authorized provider, keeping copies of your wage and medical records, and responding to the insurer’s deadlines all affect what benefits you receive. Your employer usually has to notify its insurance carrier within about ten days, and an adjuster begins managing the file soon after. That does not mean your employer or its insurer is acting in bad faith.

It does mean the claim moves quickly, and disputes are common, over whether the injury is work related, what medical treatment is authorized, what your average weekly wage is, whether you have reached maximum medical improvement, what your impairment rating should be, and what any settlement is worth. As a Denver workers’ compensation lawyer, Steven Mandelaris of Mandelaris Law, LLC represents injured workers in Denver and throughout Colorado, helping them understand the process and respond to admissions, denials, and deadlines before rights are lost.

Call (303) 357-9757 for a free consultation. There is no attorney fee unless there is a recovery.

Written by Steven Mandelaris, attorney at Mandelaris Law, LLC, licensed to practice in Colorado since 2006. Read the full attorney biography. Last reviewed and updated: July 2026.

The recoveries and case figures above reflect the firm’s overall injury practice, which includes personal injury, insurance, and workers’ compensation matters, and are not limited to workers’ compensation claims. Every case is different, and prior results do not guarantee or predict the outcome of any other matter.

How a Denver Workers’ Compensation Lawyer at Mandelaris Law Can Help

A Colorado workers’ compensation claim is an administrative process with its own deadlines, forms, and medical rules, and small missteps early on can reduce or end benefits later. Mandelaris Law, LLC focuses on the specific work that moves a claim forward and protects an injured worker’s rights, rather than generic promises. That work commonly includes the following.

• Preserving the initial written injury report and confirming what the employer actually recorded.
• Confirming the correct employer and insurance carrier, including staffing-agency and general-contractor coverage questions.
• Reviewing the insurer’s admission or denial and identifying what benefits it does and does not concede.
• Obtaining pay records and calculating the average weekly wage correctly, including overtime, tips, second jobs, and other components that are frequently left out.
• Evaluating the authorized treating physician process and whether a proper provider list was ever supplied.
• Addressing denied, delayed, or disputed medical treatment.
• Reviewing work restrictions and modified-duty offers and how they affect wage-loss benefits.
• Challenging a premature maximum medical improvement determination when the medical record does not support it.
• Reviewing impairment ratings, including scheduled and whole-person ratings.
• Handling Division-sponsored independent medical examination (DIME) proceedings.
• Preparing applications for hearing and representing injured workers before an administrative law judge.
• Evaluating settlement terms, including full and final settlements and any waiver of future rights.
• Preserving and coordinating a separate third-party claim when someone other than the employer caused the injury.
• Addressing liens, subrogation, and overpayment issues.
• Coordinating workers’ compensation with Social Security Disability, Medicare, and other benefits.

Colorado Workers’ Compensation Claims at a Glance

The points below summarize how Colorado workers’ compensation generally works. Each rule has exceptions and depends on the facts, so treat this as an overview rather than legal advice.

• Report to your employer: notify your employer of the injury in writing, generally within ten days (C.R.S. § 8-43-102). Report as soon as possible even if that period has passed.
• File your claim with the Division: a Worker’s Claim for Compensation (Form WC15) generally must be filed with the Colorado Division of Workers’ Compensation within two years of the injury (C.R.S. § 8-43-103(2)), with limited exceptions that can extend that period.
• Insurer response: after the injury is reported, the insurer generally must file an admission of liability or a notice of contest within a period set by statute and rule, ordinarily about twenty days (C.R.S. § 8-43-203(1)(a)).
• Waiting period: wage-loss benefits generally are not paid for the first three shifts or days lost, but that waiting period becomes payable if the disability lasts more than two weeks (C.R.S. § 8-42-103(1)(a)-(b)).
• Medical benefits: reasonable, necessary, and causally related treatment is generally covered, usually with no deductible or co-pay to the worker when provided by an authorized provider.
• Temporary disability: temporary total disability is generally paid at two-thirds of the average weekly wage, subject to a statutory maximum (C.R.S. § 8-42-105).
• Permanent impairment: after maximum medical improvement, a permanent impairment rating may support scheduled or whole-person permanent partial disability benefits.
• Fault: workers’ compensation is generally a no-fault system, so you usually do not have to prove the employer was negligent, though certain conduct can reduce benefits.
• Authorized treatment: treatment usually must be provided by a physician authorized through the employer’s designated provider list.
• Attorney fees: claimant attorney fees are contingent and subject to Division oversight, and Mandelaris Law offers a free consultation with no attorney fee unless there is a recovery.
• Third-party claims: a separate negligence or product claim may exist against a party other than the employer.
• Death benefits: eligible dependents of a worker who dies from a compensable injury may receive benefits, and funeral expenses may be covered (C.R.S. § 8-42-114; § 8-42-123).

What Colorado Workers’ Compensation Covers

Workers’ compensation is a no-fault system. In most cases an injured employee does not have to prove the employer did anything wrong. In exchange, benefits are limited to medical care and defined wage-loss and disability benefits, and ordinary pain and suffering is generally not a workers’ compensation benefit. To receive benefits, the worker generally must show a compensable injury or occupational disease that arose out of and in the course of employment.

No-fault does not mean automatic approval. The insurer can still dispute whether an injury happened at work, whether the current condition is related to the work event, and how much treatment or wage loss the injury actually caused. Colorado law recognizes several categories of compensable claims, including single-event accidental injuries, repetitive-trauma injuries that develop over time, occupational diseases, aggravations of a preexisting condition, and consequential injuries that flow from the original work injury or its treatment.

Who Is Covered

Colorado generally requires every employer with one or more employees to carry workers’ compensation insurance (C.R.S. § 8-40-203(1)(b)), whether the workers are full time, part time, or family members. Anyone who is paid for work is presumed to be an employee. Coverage questions frequently arise for the following categories of workers.

• Full-time, part-time, and seasonal employees.
• Temporary and staffing-agency workers, where more than one company may bear responsibility.
• Construction workers, including those on multi-employer job sites.
• Public employees, subject to the rules that apply to their employer.
• Remote and work-from-home employees.
• Traveling employees and workers injured during business travel.
• Independent contractors and owner-operators, who are often excluded but are frequently misclassified.
• Gig and app-based workers, whose status depends on the facts and the arrangement.
• Volunteers, who are generally not covered as employees.
• Sole proprietors, partners, corporate officers, and LLC members, who may be excluded or may elect coverage depending on the business structure.
• Federal employees, railroad workers, and maritime workers, who are usually covered by separate federal systems rather than Colorado workers’ compensation.

A job title, a 1099 tax form, or a signed independent-contractor agreement does not by itself decide whether a worker is an employee. Colorado applies specific legal requirements to determine independent-contractor status (C.R.S. § 8-40-202(2)), and misclassification is common. If you were told you are a contractor but you were treated like an employee, that classification is worth reviewing. Immigration status is generally not a factor in whether an injured worker can pursue a Colorado workers’ compensation claim.

What to Do After a Work Injury in Colorado

The steps below help protect both your health and your claim. They are general guidance, not a substitute for advice about your specific situation.

• Get medical attention. In an emergency, go to the nearest emergency department.
• Report the injury to your employer in writing, and keep a copy of what you submitted.
• Ask for the employer’s list of designated medical providers.
• Treat with an authorized provider when a proper list has been given to you.
• Describe how the injury happened accurately and completely, and identify every body part that was affected, not just the most painful one.
• Follow the work restrictions your authorized physician gives you.
• Save pay stubs, work schedules, and records of hours, including from any second job.
• Track mileage and out-of-pocket expenses related to medical care.
• Be careful with social media, because inaccurate or out-of-context posts can be used against you.
• Avoid guessing or speculating in a recorded statement; it is acceptable to say you do not know.
• Read every admission, denial, and medical report you receive, and note any deadlines.
• Get legal advice promptly if your claim is denied, benefits stop, or treatment is disputed.

Do not ignore your doctor’s advice, conceal your medical history, or refuse to communicate with the insurer about legitimate claim matters. Those steps tend to hurt a claim rather than help it.

Reporting a Work Injury

In Colorado, you generally should notify your employer of a work injury in writing within ten days (C.R.S. § 8-43-102). Notice should go to a supervisor, manager, human resources, or another person with authority to receive it. Written notice matters because it creates a record of what happened and when, which is often disputed later.

A useful notice identifies who you are, the date, time, and place of the injury, how it happened, and the body parts affected. Reporting the injury to your employer is not the same as filing a claim with the state. Notifying your employer starts the internal process; formally pursuing a claim generally requires filing a Worker’s Claim for Compensation (Form WC15) with the Colorado Division of Workers’ Compensation.

Below is a general example of a written report. It is an illustration only, not a legal form, and it does not replace the official state forms.

How the Employer and Insurer Process the Claim

Once you report an injury, a fairly standard sequence follows. The employer generally reports the injury to its insurance carrier, the carrier investigates, and the carrier then admits or contests the claim within the timeframe set by statute and rule. Understanding each document helps you respond on time.

A final admission of liability is especially important, because it typically starts a limited period to object before the claim closes on the terms stated. Do not let that deadline pass without reviewing it.

Choosing and Changing a Doctor

In a non-emergency, you generally must treat with a physician authorized through your employer’s designated provider list. Colorado’s authorized treating physician system has specific rules, and treating outside the authorized chain may leave those bills unpaid.

• The provider list. The employer must give you a list of up to four physicians or medical providers, generally within a thirty-mile radius, with exceptions for rural areas and telemedicine.
• Timing. The list should be offered immediately on notice of the injury, and a written copy should be provided within about seven business days. If the employer does not properly and timely provide the list, you may be able to select your own provider.
• Emergencies. Emergency care at the nearest facility is appropriate first; the designated-provider rules apply once emergency care is no longer needed.
• Authorized treating physician (ATP). The ATP is the provider you select from the list, and the ATP directs your care and any referrals to specialists.
• Changing physicians. There are procedures to change your authorized provider, and the correct method depends on the stage of the claim.
• Different kinds of examinations. An IME requested by the insurer is a one-time examination and may be recorded; a DIME is a separate, Division-sponsored examination described below. An ATP, a respondent’s IME physician, and a DIME physician each play different roles.

Because these rules are technical, do not assume you are free to see any doctor you like. Confirm who is authorized before you treat outside the list.

Medical Benefits

Colorado workers’ compensation generally covers medical treatment that is reasonable, necessary, and causally related to the work injury, usually without a deductible or co-pay to the worker when the care is authorized. Covered care may include:

• Emergency and hospital care.
• Physician visits and surgery.
• Diagnostic imaging and testing.
• Physical and occupational therapy.
• Prescription medication and medical equipment.
• Prosthetics.
• Psychological treatment where it is causally related to the injury.
• Home health care where prescribed.
• Mileage and transportation reimbursement for medical travel.
• Maintenance medical care after maximum medical improvement, where the authorized physician says it is needed to keep the condition stable.

You can request reimbursement for mileage and parking related to medical visits and to pick up medication or supplies. Colorado rules require that you request reimbursement within 120 days of travel (C.R.S. § 8-42-101), and the insurer must pay within 30 days or provide written notice of why it is denied. When a treatment request is disputed, Colorado has utilization-review and dispute procedures, and a denial of treatment can often be challenged.

Wage-Loss and Disability Benefits

Wage-loss benefits depend on your average weekly wage and the nature of your disability. The table summarizes the main categories. Amounts and durations are set by statute (C.R.S. §§ 8-42-102, 8-42-105 to 8-42-107, 8-42-111, 8-42-114) and are subject to a statutory maximum tied to the state average weekly wage, which is adjusted periodically; confirm current figures with the Division’s benefits calculator.

Average weekly wage

Nearly every wage-loss benefit starts with the average weekly wage, so an error there follows the claim to the end. The calculation can include more than base pay, and disputes often involve whether the insurer counted everything. Components and issues that frequently matter include:

• Hourly wages, salary, and regularly worked overtime.
• Bonuses and commissions where they are part of your regular earnings.
• Tips and gratuities.
• Earnings from more than one job at the time of injury.
• Per diem payments in some circumstances.
• Seasonal and irregular schedules, which require careful averaging.
• The value of certain employer-provided benefits, such as health insurance, where it is legally relevant.

If your benefit checks seem low, the average weekly wage is one of the first things worth reviewing.

Modified Duty and Return to Work

Many injured workers are released to modified or light duty before they fully recover. How that release is handled affects both your health and your benefits.

• Written restrictions from your authorized physician define what you can and cannot do.
• If the employer offers suitable work within those restrictions, a written job offer generally matters.
• If the modified work pays less than your pre-injury wage, temporary partial disability may make up part of the difference.
• Refusing an offer of suitable modified work can affect or end temporary disability benefits.
• If you are later terminated, laid off, or resign, the effect on benefits depends on the circumstances and the reason.
• If your symptoms worsen after returning to work, tell your authorized physician promptly.

Give your doctor accurate information about your actual job duties, not a generic description, because restrictions written against the wrong job can lead to a return-to-work dispute. A termination does not automatically end benefits, and it does not automatically preserve them; the outcome depends on the facts.

Maximum Medical Improvement

Maximum medical improvement (MMI) is the point at which your authorized physician determines that your condition has stabilized and further treatment is not reasonably expected to improve it (C.R.S. § 8-40-201(11.5)). MMI does not necessarily mean you are pain free or fully recovered. It means the condition is not expected to get materially better with more treatment.

MMI is placed by the authorized treating physician, who may refer you to another physician if needed. Reaching MMI generally ends temporary disability benefits and shifts the focus to any permanent impairment. Even after MMI, the physician may recommend maintenance care to keep the condition stable. A final admission of liability usually follows an MMI determination, which is why a disagreement about premature MMI, before appropriate treatment has been completed, is worth addressing quickly. MMI is also the trigger for an impairment rating.

Permanent Impairment and Disability

After MMI, if the injury caused permanent loss of function, the physician assigns an impairment rating. Colorado distinguishes between two categories of impairment (C.R.S. § 8-42-107).

• Scheduled impairment covers loss of function to listed body parts such as the fingers, hands, arms, toes, feet, legs, and certain vision and hearing losses.
• Whole-person (non-scheduled) impairment covers losses such as the spine, lungs, and mental function, and is valued differently than a scheduled rating.

Impairment is not the same thing as disability. Impairment describes loss of function; disability describes the effect on your ability to work and earn. You can have an impairment without being disabled from all work. For some non-scheduled claims, statutory factors such as age can affect the calculation. Because a low or zero rating directly reduces or eliminates permanent partial disability benefits, a rating that does not match the medical record is a common and appropriate subject of dispute, often through the DIME process described below. Disfigurement, such as visible scarring from a work injury or its surgery, may support a separate benefit.

The Colorado DIME Process

A Division-sponsored independent medical examination, or DIME, is a process for resolving disputes about the date of maximum medical improvement and the permanent impairment rating without going straight to a contested hearing (C.R.S. § 8-42-107.2). Either the injured worker or the insurer may request a DIME.

• A DIME is used specifically to address MMI and impairment disputes.
• A DIME physician is selected through the Division’s process rather than chosen freely by either side.
• The party that requests the DIME generally advances the physician’s fee, and there are procedures to address a claimant’s inability to pay in some circumstances.
• The DIME physician’s opinion carries significant evidentiary weight, and a party who disagrees with it generally must meet a heightened standard to overcome it.
• Strict deadlines and procedures apply, and the DIME rule was updated effective April 1, 2025, so current requirements should be confirmed with the Division.

Because a DIME can effectively decide the value of a permanent injury, missing a deadline or approaching the examination without preparation can have lasting consequences.

Why Workers’ Compensation Claims Are Denied

A denial is not necessarily the end of a claim. Understanding the stated reason is the first step toward responding. Common reasons a Colorado claim is contested include:

• No timely report of the injury.
• A dispute that the event happened at all.
• An assertion that the injury is not work related.
• An assertion that the condition is a preexisting problem rather than a work injury.
• Disputes over occupational-disease or repetitive-trauma causation.
• A claim that the worker is an independent contractor, not an employee.
• Alleged intoxication or a positive drug or alcohol test.
• Alleged deviation from employment or horseplay.
• Failure to treat with an authorized provider.
• Insufficient medical support for the claimed condition.
• Late filing of the claim.
• Credibility disputes about how the injury occurred.
• Misidentification of the correct employer or insurer.

Some of these, such as a safety-rule violation or a positive post-injury drug or alcohol test, may reduce certain non-medical benefits (C.R.S. § 8-42-112; § 8-42-112.5) rather than defeat the entire claim. Each denial reason calls for a different response.

Hearings, Mediation, and Appeals

When a dispute cannot be resolved informally, Colorado provides a structured process. Understanding who does what helps set expectations.

• The Colorado Division of Workers’ Compensation administers claims and offers prehearing and settlement resources.
• The Office of Administrative Courts holds contested hearings, which are started by filing an application for hearing.
• Prehearing conferences handle procedural matters such as scheduling and discovery, the exchange of evidence before a hearing.
• Discovery, depositions, medical records, and expert testimony develop the evidence for a contested issue.
• Settlement conferences are voluntary and require all parties to agree to participate.
• An administrative law judge decides contested issues after a hearing.
• A party who disagrees with the judge’s order may file a petition to review, which goes to the Industrial Claim Appeals Office, and further review may be available in the Colorado Court of Appeals.

Each step has its own deadlines. Because those deadlines are short and are set by statute and rule, confirm the applicable timeframe for your specific order rather than assuming.

Workers’ Compensation Settlements

No lawyer can value a workers’ compensation claim from a web page, and any site advertising an average settlement figure or an online calculator should be treated with caution. Settlement is voluntary; no one can force you to settle, and no one can require the insurer to make an offer. A settlement in Colorado must be submitted to the Division for approval.

Common features of workers’ compensation settlements include:

• Full and final settlement, which typically closes the claim, including future medical benefits, in exchange for a lump sum.
• Settlements that resolve indemnity while treating future medical benefits differently, where currently permissible and accurately structured.
• Structured or periodic payments instead of a single lump sum.
• Treatment of future medical expenses, which can be the largest component of a serious claim.
• A waiver of the right to reopen, which is a significant and often permanent decision.
• Medicare considerations, including whether a Medicare Set-Aside is appropriate; an MSA is not required in every case, and its use depends on the facts and on federal guidance.
• Resolution of existing liens or overpayments.
• Any resignation or separation agreement included as part of the settlement.
• Tax treatment, which is generally favorable for workers’ compensation benefits, though you should obtain individualized tax advice rather than relying on a general statement.

Gross settlement and net recovery are different numbers. Liens, prior overpayments, and other obligations can reduce what you actually receive, which is why the net figure, not the headline figure, is what matters.

Third-Party Claims

Workers’ compensation may not be your only claim. When someone other than your employer or a co-worker caused your injury, you may have a separate negligence or product-liability claim against that third party, in addition to your workers’ compensation benefits. The two are legally distinct: workers’ compensation provides defined benefits from the employer’s carrier without proof of fault, while a third-party claim requires proving negligence or a defect but can include damages that workers’ compensation does not pay, such as pain and suffering.

Third-party claims commonly involve:

• Negligent drivers, in a crash while you were working.
• General contractors, subcontractors, and other companies sharing a job site.
• Property owners where the injury occurred.
• Equipment manufacturers and defective products.
• Outside vendors and maintenance companies.

Examples include a delivery driver struck by another motorist, a construction worker injured by defective equipment, an employee hurt at a property controlled by another business, and a worker injured by a subcontractor from a different company. Because a workers’ compensation insurer that pays benefits often has a subrogation interest in a third-party recovery, the two claims must be coordinated so that liens and allocation are handled correctly.

Colorado’s exclusive-remedy rule generally prevents an employee from suing the employer for ordinary negligence for a work injury; workers’ compensation is usually the exclusive remedy against the employer (C.R.S. § 8-41-104). There are limited exceptions, and whether one applies depends on the specific facts. A third-party claim is against a legally responsible outside party, not the employer.

Retaliation and Employment Issues

Your workers’ compensation claim and your job are related but legally separate. Filing a claim, reporting an injury, requesting benefits, having medical restrictions, taking leave, and returning to modified duty can each raise employment questions that are governed by different laws than the workers’ compensation statutes.

Depending on the facts, a work injury may intersect with:

• Alleged discrimination or retaliation for reporting an injury or pursuing benefits.
• The federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
• Reasonable-accommodation obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
• Paid leave and unemployment benefits.
• Union or collective-bargaining provisions.

These separate claims often have their own elements, agencies, notice requirements, and deadlines, which can differ significantly from the workers’ compensation deadlines. This page is not an employment-law page, and some of these issues may require separate counsel or additional analysis. If you believe you were disciplined or fired because of a work injury, it is worth having the situation reviewed promptly because of those separate deadlines.

Common Work Injuries

Work injuries range from a single traumatic event to conditions that build over months or years. Colorado workers’ compensation can cover many of them when they arise out of and in the course of employment, including:

• Back and spinal injuries, and neck injuries.
• Shoulder, knee, and hip injuries.
• Hand, wrist, and elbow injuries, including carpal tunnel syndrome.
• Foot and ankle injuries.
• Fractures, crush injuries, and amputations.
• Burns and electrical injuries.
• Traumatic brain injuries and concussions.
• Hearing loss and vision injuries.
• Respiratory disease and toxic exposure.
• Repetitive-stress injuries and other occupational diseases.
• Psychological injuries, where causally related to the work injury or a qualifying event.
• Fatal injuries, which may support dependent death benefits.

Some conditions, such as certain heart attacks, strokes, infectious diseases, and mental-only claims, are subject to special causation standards under Colorado law, so their compensability depends heavily on the medical evidence and the specific circumstances.

Industries and Workplaces Where Injuries Occur

Colorado’s economy spans job sites that carry very different risks, and where you work often shapes how a claim is investigated. Injuries arise across the state in construction along the Front Range, transportation and warehousing corridors, delivery and trucking, manufacturing, oil and gas, mining, and agriculture and food production. They also occur in health care settings such as hospitals and nursing homes, among first responders including law enforcement and fire services, and throughout hospitality, restaurants, ski and mountain resorts, retail, schools, and government employment. Office work and remote work produce their own injuries, including repetitive-strain conditions and falls, and business travel within Colorado can raise questions about whether an injury occurred in the course of employment. The nature of the industry, the equipment involved, and the documentation a workplace keeps all affect how a claim is proven.

Evidence in a Workers’ Compensation Claim

Documentation frequently decides disputed workers’ compensation claims. Much of the key evidence is created early and is held by the employer, the insurer, or medical providers, which is why prompt attention matters.

Not every item must be kept forever, and preservation obligations depend on the circumstances. Still, identifying and requesting time-sensitive evidence early is often the difference between a documented claim and a disputed one.

How Much Is a Colorado Workers’ Compensation Case Worth?

Workers’ compensation value is calculated differently than personal-injury value. In a workers’ compensation claim, ordinary pain and suffering is generally not a recoverable benefit. Instead, value comes from defined categories, which may include:

• Unpaid or underpaid temporary disability benefits.
• Corrections to an understated average weekly wage.
• Past and future medical benefits.
• Permanent impairment, and disfigurement where applicable.
• Permanent total disability, in qualifying cases.
• Death benefits for eligible dependents.
• Penalties or interest, where they are legally available.
• Separate third-party damages, including pain and suffering, in a distinct negligence or product claim.

Because the value depends on your wage, your medical course, your rating, your restrictions, and disputed legal issues unique to your claim, an online calculator cannot reliably value it. A meaningful assessment requires a review of your records, your wage documentation, and the insurer’s filings.

How Mandelaris Law Handles a Workers’ Compensation Case

Steven Mandelaris has been licensed to practice law in Colorado since 2006 and represents injured workers in Denver and throughout Colorado. In a workers’ compensation matter, the work generally proceeds through the following steps, adapted to the facts of each claim.

• Initial claim review and a plain-English explanation of where the claim stands.
• Review of deadlines and coverage, including the reporting and filing timelines.
• Identification of the correct employer and insurance carrier.
• Review of medical authorizations and the authorized-provider chain.
• Verification of the average weekly wage and an audit of benefits paid to date.
• Development of the medical record with authorized providers.
• Handling of denied or disputed treatment.
• Analysis of maximum medical improvement and any impairment rating.
• Evaluation and handling of a DIME when MMI or impairment is disputed.
• Preparation for prehearing conferences and contested hearings.
• Settlement analysis, including future medical and reopening considerations.
• Coordination of any separate third-party claim.
• Resolution of liens, subrogation, and benefit-coordination issues.

Every case is different, and prior results do not guarantee or predict the outcome of any other matter.

Attorney Fees

The consultation is free. Workers’ compensation cases are handled on a contingency basis, meaning there is no attorney fee unless there is a recovery. In Colorado, claimant attorney fees in workers’ compensation cases are contingent and are subject to statutory and Division oversight. The written fee agreement states the fee and how case costs are handled before any work begins, and Mandelaris Law reviews those terms with you so you understand them.

Areas Served

Mandelaris Law, LLC represents injured workers throughout Colorado from its Denver office at 501 S. Cherry Street, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80246. The firm assists workers across the Denver metro area and the Front Range, including communities such as Aurora, Lakewood, Arvada, Westminster, Thornton, Centennial, Littleton, Englewood, Greenwood Village, Commerce City, Brighton, Broomfield, Wheat Ridge, Golden, Parker, Castle Rock, and Highlands Ranch, as well as Boulder, Longmont, Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo. It also assists workers in Grand Junction and other Western Slope communities, in mountain communities, and on the Eastern Plains.

Colorado workers’ compensation matters are generally handled through the statewide administrative system, the Division of Workers’ Compensation and the Office of Administrative Courts, rather than through the ordinary county district courts, so the firm can assist injured workers regardless of which part of the state they live or work in.

Frequently Asked Questions About Colorado Workers’ Compensation

Tap a question to expand the answer.

Sources and Legal Authority

The following official sources address Colorado workers’ compensation law and related benefit coordination. They are provided for further reading and do not constitute legal advice.

• Colorado Revised Statutes, Title 8, Articles 40 through 47 (the Colorado Workers’ Compensation Act).
• Colorado Division of Workers’ Compensation, Injured Worker resources.
• Colorado Division of Workers’ Compensation, Understand Potential Benefits.
• Colorado Division of Workers’ Compensation, Get Medical Care.
• Colorado Division of Workers’ Compensation, Resolve or Reopen Your Claim.
• Colorado Division of Workers’ Compensation, Division Independent Medical Examination (DIME).
• Colorado Division of Workers’ Compensation, Rules of Procedure.
• U.S. Social Security Administration, Disability Benefits (for workers’ compensation and Social Security offset topics).
• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set-Aside Arrangements.

Key statutory citations in this article (Colorado Revised Statutes, Title 8, Articles 40–47): notice of injury to employer, C.R.S. § 8-43-102; time limit to file a claim, C.R.S. § 8-43-103; employer/insurer coverage requirement, C.R.S. § 8-40-203; employee and independent-contractor status, C.R.S. § 8-40-202; admission or denial of liability, C.R.S. § 8-43-203; waiting period and retroactive benefits, C.R.S. § 8-42-103; average weekly wage, C.R.S. § 8-40-201(19); temporary total disability, C.R.S. § 8-42-105; temporary partial disability, C.R.S. § 8-42-106; permanent partial disability and impairment, C.R.S. § 8-42-107; selection of a Division-sponsored independent medical examiner (DIME), C.R.S. § 8-42-107.2; maximum medical improvement, C.R.S. § 8-40-201(11.5); permanent total disability, C.R.S. § 8-40-201(16.5) and § 8-42-111; reduction of benefits for safety-rule violations or intoxication, C.R.S. § 8-42-112 and § 8-42-112.5; death and funeral benefits, C.R.S. § 8-42-114 and § 8-42-123; reopening a claim, C.R.S. § 8-43-303; and the exclusive-remedy rule, C.R.S. § 8-41-104. Section numbers are current as of the last-reviewed date above; confirm citations against the official Colorado Revised Statutes before relying on them.

Related Practice Areas

A work injury sometimes overlaps with other types of claims. If your situation involves any of the following, these pages cover the details.

• Personal Injury — when someone’s negligence, rather than only a workplace accident, caused your injury.
• Car Accidents — if you were hurt in a crash, including while driving for work.
• Truck Accidents — for collisions involving commercial trucks, which can raise separate third-party claims.
• Premises Liability — if you were injured on property controlled by a business other than your employer.
• Insurance Bad Faith — if an insurer unreasonably delayed or denied benefits you were owed.
• Wrongful Death — if a family member died from a work-related or other preventable event.

Speak With a Denver Workers’ Compensation Lawyer

If you were injured on the job in Colorado, a few steps protect your claim: report the injury to your employer in writing, get care through an authorized provider, and review any denial, final admission, maximum medical improvement determination, impairment rating, or settlement offer before the deadlines to respond expire. Mandelaris Law, LLC represents injured workers in Denver and throughout Colorado and can review where your claim stands. The consultation is free, and there is no attorney fee unless there is a recovery.

Call (303) 357-9757

This page provides general information about Colorado workers’ compensation law and is not legal advice. Reading this page or contacting Mandelaris Law, LLC does not by itself create an attorney-client relationship. Workers’ compensation statutes, rules, procedures, benefit amounts, and deadlines may change and may apply differently depending on the facts. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome.