I got hurt at work, but my employer says that they did not carry any Workers’ Compensation Insurance at the time of my injury. Am I out of luck?

All employers in North Carolina with three or more employees are required to carry Workers’ Compensation Insurance. What we oftentimes see, especially in these difficult economic times, is employers having to let their workers’ compensation insurance lapse due to lack of funds. Most often, we see this with small construction subcontractors.

The good news is this: If you worked for a subcontractor who was on a job which had a general contractor, or who was hired by another subcontractor, you may be able to go “up the chain” and gain access to the compensation coverage provided by the general contractor, or subcontractor who hired your employer. It all depends on whether or not those contractors took the necessary steps to verify whether your employer did, in fact, carry workers’ compensation insurance at the time your employer was hired by the contractor above them for the job.