Wyoming Workers' Compensation Settlement Calculator

Standard: Every Wyoming employer must insure through the single, state-administered Workers' Compensation Division account — the statute declares it 'one and indivisible.'

Scope: No private insurance carriers operate in Wyoming's WC market, and (unlike monopolistic-fund states such as Washington or Ohio) Wyoming does not offer a qualified self-insurance option either. Industry base rates reset annually through Wyoming Administrative Procedure Act rulemaking plus the Governor's written approval; 2026 rates were cut 15.0% overall (individual classifications ranged -2.25% to -27.75%). FY2025 fund balance: $2.83 billion; claims expenditure: $193.6 million across 9,097 reported injuries.

Standard: TTD = greater of 2/3 of actual monthly gross wage or 30% of the state average monthly wage (SAMW), capped at the lesser of 100% of actual monthly earnings or the SAMW for the quarter of injury.

Scope: SAMW is recalculated by the Division every quarter (not annually like most states), so the applicable cap depends on exactly which quarter the injury occurred in. Workers who receive ALL medical treatment inside Wyoming may instead draw 70% of actual monthly earnings, capped at 103% of the SAMW. Temporary light-duty pay = 80% of the difference between light-duty wage and pre-injury monthly earnings. 3-day waiting period.

Standard: Impairment is rated by a licensed physician under the most recent AMA Guides; the award = impairment % × 60 months, paid monthly at 2/3 of the trailing 12-month SAMW.

Scope: UNLIKE most states — Wyoming has no dollar/weeks schedule by body part; every PPD award runs through the AMA Guides % × 60-month formula. A separate 'disability award' (loss of earning capacity) can add to this: below 73% of SAMW earners get 92% of actual monthly earnings, earners between 73%-100% of SAMW get 2/3 of the SAMW, and earners above SAMW get 2/3 of actual earnings capped at the SAMW. Disputes over the disability-award component are common — see McBride v. State, 2022 WY 100 (12% WPI alone was insufficient; claimant must also show no suitable work exists given her restrictions).

Standard: PTD pays the § 27-14-403(c) monthly rate for a maximum of 80 months — reduced by any months already paid as a PPD award for the same injury — not for life.

Scope: Requires physician certification of permanent total disability under § 27-14-102(a)(xvi), OR eligibility under the common-law 'odd-lot doctrine' (Gray v. State, 2023 WY 123 — Wyoming Supreme Court held a physician need not certify non-medical odd-lot factors like age, education, and work history). The § 27-14-403(c) monthly payment is the EXCLUSIVE benefit for both physical impairment and economic loss — no separate wage-loss or vocational claim beyond it (aside from § 27-14-408 vocational rehab).

Standard: Workers' comp is the sole remedy against the employer, built on a 'mutual renunciation of common law rights and defenses' — the Act is explicitly NOT to be liberally construed in favor of either side.

Scope: Only exception: a co-employee or the employer intentionally acts to cause physical harm (narrow — ordinary or even gross negligence doesn't qualify). Third-party tort claims against non-employers are preserved. An employer who never obtained coverage, or is more than 30 days delinquent on premiums, loses exclusive-remedy protection entirely — the injured employee keeps a full civil claim against that employer.

Standard: 72-hour notice to employer of the general nature of the injury; written injury report to employer AND Division within 10 days; benefits claim filed within 1 year (single/sudden injury).

Scope: Missing the 72-hour/10-day report creates a REBUTTABLE presumption the claim will be denied — can be overcome with clear and convincing evidence the employer/Division weren't prejudiced. For gradual or occupational injuries, the claim-filing deadline is 1 year after diagnosis is first communicated OR 3 years from the last injurious workplace exposure, whichever is later.