Home / Practice Areas / Workers' Compensation / Occupational Disease
Ohio Occupational
Disease Lawyers
If a job exposure made you sick in Ohio, you may be owed Workers' Comp. Occupational disease claims are hard to prove. We help you win yours.
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Since 1953
Family-Owned Firm
$100M+
Recovered for Ohio Workers
3 Generations
of Knisley Attorneys
No Fees
Unless We Win
Are Occupational Diseases Covered
by Ohio Workers' Comp?
An occupational disease is covered by Ohio Workers' Compensation when your job caused it. The key question is whether your work caused the illness, not an ordinary risk everyone faces in daily life.
You are still covered when
Your illness is linked to your work exposure
It developed from your job conditions
A doctor ties the illness to that exposure
Rare exceptions and harder cases
An "ordinary disease of life" not tied to work
An illness that could have come from
outside the job
If you are not sure your illness qualifies, we can look at your exposure history and tell you where you stand.
Common Types of Occupational Disease
The most common occupational diseases are lung and respiratory illnesses, occupational asthma, skin conditions, hearing loss, and illnesses from toxic exposure. Each can be covered by Workers' Comp when it is tied to your job.
Lung & respiratory disease
Breathing in dust, fibers, or fumes can cause asbestosis, silicosis, mesothelioma, or COPD. These are some of the most serious occupational diseases, and some appear years after the exposure.
Skin conditions
Contact with chemicals, solvents, and irritants can cause contact dermatitis, rashes, and chemical burns. Skin conditions are among the most common work-related illnesses.
Toxic exposure &
occupational cancer
Solvents, heavy metals, and other carcinogens can cause serious long-term illness, including some cancers. Proving these claims takes
a careful exposure history and strong
medical evidence.
Occupational asthma
Chemicals, dust, and fumes at work can trigger or worsen asthma. Work-related breathing problems can force you off the job and out of certain workplaces for good.
Hearing loss
Working around loud machinery for years can cause permanent, noise-induced hearing loss. It builds up slowly, so many workers do not connect it to their job until it is severe.
Repetitive-strain conditions
Carpal tunnel, cubital tunnel, and tendonitis can also count as occupational diseases when repetitive work motions cause them.
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What Causes Occupational Disease at Work
Occupational disease comes from long-term workplace exposures. Dust and fibers, chemicals and solvents, fumes, loud noise, and repetitive motion can build up in your body over months or years until they make you sick.
Ohio workers face these hazards across many industries: manufacturing, welding, construction, mining, agriculture, chemical plants, and healthcare. The exposure does not have to be dramatic. Steady, everyday contact with a harmful substance is often what causes an occupational disease.
Latent diseases and long exposures
Some occupational diseases stay hidden for years. Asbestos and silica illnesses, for example, can appear decades after the exposure that caused them. Because of this delay, the deadline to file an Ohio claim runs from when you are diagnosed, not from when you were exposed. If you were only recently diagnosed, you may still have time even if the exposure was long ago.
What to Do If You Have an Occupational Disease in Ohio
If you are diagnosed with a work-related illness in Ohio, get a diagnosis that links it to your job, report it to your employer, and file a claim with the Ohio BWC. Your deadline runs from when your disability began or when you were diagnosed, not from an injury date.
Get A Medical Diagnosis
See a doctor and tie your
illness to your job.
Report It To Your Employer
Tell your employer and
get it in writing.
File Your
BWC Claim
We file your First Report of Injury (FROI).
Know Your
Deadline
One year from when your disability began, or six months from diagnosis, whichever
is longer.
Build The Proof With An Attorney
We prove your illness
came from work.
Workers' Comp Benefits
You Can Recover
An occupational disease claim can pay for your medical treatment, replace part of your lost wages, compensate you for lasting impairment, and help you get back to work.
Medical Treatment
Workers' Comp covers doctor visits, testing, treatment, and prescriptions
for your work-related illness. You
should not pay out of pocket for an allowed condition.
​Lost Wages (TTD)
If your illness keeps you off work, temporary total disability benefits replace part of your lost wages while
you recover.
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Permanent Partial Disability
If your occupational disease leaves you with lasting impairment, PPD benefits recognize that lasting effect.
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Vocational Rehab
If your illness keeps you from your old job, vocational rehabilitation can help you retrain and find suitable work within your restrictions.
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What is your occupational disease claim worth?
There is no set price. Value depends on how serious your illness is, how much work you miss, whether you have lasting impairment, and how strong the work-causation proof is. We cannot promise a number, but we can explain how value is decided and fight for the full benefits you qualify for.
When You Can File a Claim Beyond Workers' Comp
Sometimes the company that made the asbestos, chemical, or equipment that sickened you is a separate, liable party. When that happens, you may be able to file a third-party claim on top of your Workers' Comp benefits.
Your Workers' Comp Claim
Filed against the Ohio BWC · No-fault
Medical treatment
Part of your lost wages
Lasting impairment
You get this no matter who caused the exposure.
A Third-Party or
Product-Liability Claim
Against the maker of the harmful substance
or equipment
Full lost wages
Pain and suffering
Asbestos trust funds for illnesses like mesothelioma
Asbestos maker
Chemical maker
Equipment Maker
A third-party claim stacks on top of your Workers' Comp benefits, it does not replace them. If your illness came from something other than work, a personal injury claim may be the right path.
How Our Ohio Workers' Comp Attorneys Help
Our family handles every stage of an occupational disease claim, from proving it came from work to fighting denials and negotiating settlements. You focus on healing, and we handle the fight.
Filing Your BWC Claim
We file your First Report of Injury (FROI) and, just as important, build the exposure and medical proof that ties your illness to your job.
Appealing Denied Claims
Occupational disease claims are denied more often than injury claims. We fight it through every level, from DHO and SHO hearings to the Industrial Commission.
Pursuing TTD Benefits
Wage replacement while you cannot work, filed on the C-84. We make sure your wage rate is calculated correctly.
If a safety violation caused your fall, you may recover an extra 15% to 50% on top of your benefits. See how VSSR claims work
Compensation for lasting impairment, filed on the C-92 and based on your impairment rating.
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Settlements & Lump-Sum
When it makes sense, we negotiate a fair lump-sum settlement and walk you through the trade-offs.
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New to the system? Read our guide on getting paid after a work injury.
Related Workplace Injuries We Handle
Knisley Law represents Ohio workers across every kind of workplace injury, anywhere a BWC claim is on the line.
Frequently Asked Questions
About Occupational Disease
