Can I get a scheduled-loss award even if I go back to work?

Yes. A scheduled-loss award pays for the loss of the body part itself, so you can receive it even if you returned to work and did not miss much time. It is separate from the benefits that replace lost wages.

What if my finger or limb was reattached but does not work right?

You may still have a claim. If a body part was saved but no longer works the way it should, Ohio can compensate that permanent loss of use much like an amputation. We prove how the injury limits you.

Does Workers' Comp pay for my prosthetic, including replacements?

Yes. Ohio Workers' Comp covers your prosthetic device, along with fitting, repair, and replacement over time, plus the care that goes with it. A prosthetic is not a one-time cost, and your coverage should reflect that.

Can my employer fire me after a workplace amputation?

No. Ohio law protects you from being fired or punished for filing a Workers' Comp claim in good faith. If your employer retaliates after your injury, you may have a separate claim against them.

Who pays my medical bills while my claim is being decided?

Once your claim is allowed, Workers' Comp covers the treatment your injury needs, including care you already received. While the claim is pending, bills may go to you or your health insurance, but those costs are usually sorted out once the claim is approved.

What if I can never return to work after my amputation?

You may qualify for more. If your amputation permanently keeps you from working, Ohio can provide permanent total disability benefits, and the loss of both hands, both arms, both feet, or both legs can qualify on its own. Vocational rehabilitation may also help you find new work within your abilities.

Can I get a scheduled-loss award even if I go back to work?

Yes. A scheduled-loss award pays for the loss of the body part itself, so you can receive it even if you returned to work and did not miss much time. It is separate from the benefits that replace lost wages.

What if my finger or limb was reattached but does not work right?

You may still have a claim. If a body part was saved but no longer works the way it should, Ohio can compensate that permanent loss of use much like an amputation. We prove how the injury limits you.

Does Workers' Comp pay for my prosthetic, including replacements?

Yes. Ohio Workers' Comp covers your prosthetic device, along with fitting, repair, and replacement over time, plus the care that goes with it. A prosthetic is not a one-time cost, and your coverage should reflect that.

Can my employer fire me after a workplace amputation?

No. Ohio law protects you from being fired or punished for filing a Workers' Comp claim in good faith. If your employer retaliates after your injury, you may have a separate claim against them.

Who pays my medical bills while my claim is being decided?

Once your claim is allowed, Workers' Comp covers the treatment your injury needs, including care you already received. While the claim is pending, bills may go to you or your health insurance, but those costs are usually sorted out once the claim is approved.

What if I can never return to work after my amputation?

You may qualify for more. If your amputation permanently keeps you from working, Ohio can provide permanent total disability benefits, and the loss of both hands, both arms, both feet, or both legs can qualify on its own. Vocational rehabilitation may also help you find new work within your abilities.

Home / Practice Areas / Workers' Compensation / Amputations

Ohio Amputation
Injury Lawyers

If you lost a finger, hand, or limb at work in
Ohio, you are owed more than a basic claim,
including your scheduled-loss award.

Call 1-800-573-9503

Person who had arm amputated meeting with a lawyer

Since 1953

Family-Owned Firm

$100M+

Recovered for Ohio Workers

3 Generations

of Knisley Attorneys

No Fees

Unless We Win

Can I Get Compensation for a Workplace Amputation in Ohio?

If you lost a finger, hand, or limb in a workplace accident in Ohio, your injury is covered by Workers' Compensation, no matter who was at fault. You may also be owed a scheduled-loss award on top of your other benefits.

An amputation is one of the most clearly covered injuries in Ohio Workers' Comp. You do not have to prove anyone was careless to receive benefits.

The real fight is not whether you are covered. It is making sure you receive the full value your injury is worth. That means your scheduled-loss award, your prosthetic for life, a VSSR award if a safety rule was broken, and a third-party claim if a defective machine was involved. We cover each of these below.

Types of Amputation Injuries

Workplace amputations range from the loss of a fingertip to the loss of an arm or leg, and include partial amputations and limbs that survive but no longer work. Each body part is compensated separately under Ohio law.

Finger and thumb amputations

Hand and arm amputations

The most common workplace amputation. Each finger and the thumb is a separate body part under Ohio law, so the loss of more than one digit can mean more than one award.

The loss of a hand, or an arm below or above the elbow. These injuries deeply affect your ability to work and often require a prosthetic and long-term care.

Foot, toe, and leg amputations

The loss of a toe, foot, or a leg below or above the knee. Lower-limb amputations change how you move and work, and Ohio compensates each level of loss.

Traumatic and surgical amputation

Some body parts are severed in the accident. Others are amputated later by doctors because a crush injury, infection, or loss of blood flow leaves no choice. Both are covered.

Partial amputation and degloving

A partial loss, or a degloving injury that strips away skin and tissue, can be as serious as a full amputation and is treated seriously under
your claim.

Loss of use

Sometimes a limb survives but no longer works. Ohio can compensate the permanent loss of use of a body part much like an amputation.

How Workplace
Amputations Happen

Most workplace amputations come from machinery, presses, saws, forklifts, and crush injuries, especially when a machine guard is missing or a machine is defective.

Because the cause is usually a machine, the details of how these accidents happen, and how we prove them, live on our Industrial Accidents page. When a defective or unguarded machine caused your amputation, that also opens a separate claim against the equipment maker, which we explain below.

What to Do After a Workplace Amputation in Ohio

Get emergency medical care, report the injury to your employer, and file a First Report of Injury (FROI) with the Ohio BWC. You generally have one year from the injury date to file.

Get Emergency Medical Care

Treat the injury first and tell every provider it happened
at work.

Report It To Your Employer

Tell your employer as soon as you can and ask for it in writing.

Preserve The Machine And The Scene

Keep the equipment from being repaired and save photos and witness names.

File Your BWC Claim

Your claim starts when a First Report of Injury (FROI) is filed.

Know Your Deadline And Call A Lawyer

You generally have one year. Getting your award right from the start matters, so talk to
us early.

Workers' Comp Benefits
You Can Recover

A workplace amputation claim can pay a scheduled-loss award for the body part you
lost, cover your prosthetic for life, replace part of your lost wages, and fund
vocational rehabilitation.

Scheduled-loss
award

Ohio pays a set number of weeks for the loss, or loss of use, of a body part, including an eye or your hearing, on top of your other benefits.

Prosthetics and
lifetime medical

Workers' Comp covers your prosthetic device, along with fitting, repair, replacement, and maintenance, plus your surgery and rehabilitation.

Lost wages (TTD)

If your injury keeps you off work, temporary total disability benefits replace part of your lost wages while
you recover.

Vocational rehab

If you cannot return to the same job, vocational rehabilitation can help you retrain and find work within
your restrictions.

What is your amputation claim worth?

There is no set price. Value depends on which body part you lost, whether it is a full or partial loss, your prosthetic and future-care needs, and your lost earning capacity. The scheduled-loss award is often a major part of that value. We cannot promise a number, but we can explain how value is decided and fight for every benefit you qualify for.

Beyond Workers' Comp: VSSR Awards and Third-Party Claims

An amputation can pay more than a basic Workers' Comp claim. If a safety rule was broken, a VSSR adds 15% to 50%. And if a defective machine caused the amputation, you may have a separate third-party claim against the manufacturer.

A VSSR Additional Award

Stays inside the Ohio BWC system

Applies when your employer violated a specific safety requirement

Covers an unguarded machine or a skipped lockout-tagout step

Adds an extra 15% to 50% on top of your benefits

Learn how these claims work on our VSSR page.

A Third-Party Claim

Against a non-employer who helped cause
the amputation

Most often the manufacturer of a defective or unguarded machine

Sometimes a maintenance contractor or a staffing agency

Covers the full lost wages and pain and suffering Workers' Comp does not pay

Equipment manufacturer

Maintenance contractor

Staffing agency

Neither path replaces your Workers' Comp claim. They stack on top of it. If a dangerous machine caused your amputation, a personal injury claim may run alongside your Workers' Comp. We look at every angle.

How Our Ohio Workers' Comp Attorneys Help

Our family handles every stage of an amputation claim, from filing your First Report of Injury to securing your scheduled-loss award, protecting your lifetime prosthetics, and pursuing the equipment maker. You focus on healing, and we handle the fight.