Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Claim Lawyer
A Mississippi workers’ compensation claim never goes before a jury or a circuit judge at the start. It goes to the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, an administrative body whose three members are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate, and the case is decided on a record you and your lawyer build. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation firm that represents injured workers across Mississippi and South Louisiana, and a Mississippi workers’ compensation claim lawyer from our team can take that record-building off your plate from the first day.
The reason that matters is simple: in Mississippi, what is in the file at the hearing is what the judge and, later, the Full Commission and the appellate courts will look at. Medical opinions, work history, witness statements and the timing of every notice you gave your employer all become evidence. Claims that are denied, delayed or cut off are very often claims where something important never made it into the record, or where the insurance carrier got its version in first.
If you are reading this because a supervisor told you the injury “doesn’t look work related,” because a check stopped arriving, or because the carrier’s doctor released you before your own surgeon did, the sections below walk through how these claims actually move, what deadlines apply, and where they tend to go wrong.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Mississippi Comp Claim
Most lawyers who take comp cases are personal injury lawyers who handle a work injury only when one walks in the door. We represent clients in Jackson, Madison, Hattiesburg, Southaven, the Delta, the Gulf Coast and communities throughout the state, and we have recovered more than $100 million in settlements for our clients. Consultations are free, we advance the costs of the case, you owe no fee unless we recover benefits for you, and our phones are answered 24 hours a day. Hablamos español.
The people handling your claim matter, so here is who they are. Rob Lunsford, Founding Partner, has spent his entire legal career representing injured workers. Brad Baskin, Partner, and Jennifer Priebe, Partner, have been recognized by Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers and The National Trial Lawyers, and the firm was ranked by Best Law Firms in 2026 for Workers’ Compensation Law, Claimants, in Jackson. Andrew Rueff has successfully tried dozens of jury and bench trials to verdict and regularly appears before the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team.
Results show what that focus produces: $685,000 for a surgical tech with a lower back injury, $600,000 for a construction worker with a complex back injury, $385,000 for a project manager with back injuries after being struck in his work vehicle, and $221,000 for a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns. Clients tell us in their reviews that the team listened, stayed professional, and fought the insurance company at every step. Attorney fees in comp cases are also limited and approved under state law, so the fee structure is not a guessing game.
Injuries and Claim Types Our Mississippi Workers’ Comp Attorneys Handle
- Back, neck and spine injuries: Lumbar and cervical disc herniations are among the most contested comp injuries because carriers point to degenerative disc disease. Warehouse, construction, nursing and trucking jobs wear on the spine, and we build the medical and work-history evidence showing the job caused or worsened the condition.
- Shoulder and knee injuries: Torn rotator cuffs, SLAP tears, ACL tears and meniscus tears often draw the “old sports injury” response from employers. Pulling pipe on a rig or climbing steel can produce these injuries without any single dramatic moment.
- Fractures: Broken feet, ankles, hips and other bones can require specialists and complex surgical repair, which means longer time off work and a bigger fight over who controls treatment.
- Burns and catastrophic injuries: Oil field, plant and industrial site workers face burns and crush injuries that can end a career. These claims often involve lifelong medical needs and a hard look at permanent disability.
- Firefighter and first responder claims: Hypertension, heart and lung disease, hepatitis, hearing loss, posttraumatic stress and job-related cancer are all part of this category and frequently turn on proving a work connection over years rather than one incident.
- Vehicle crashes on the job: Truck drivers, delivery drivers and traveling employees get hurt on Mississippi highways. The comp claim runs alongside a possible injury claim against the at-fault driver, and the two have to be handled together.
- Denied, delayed and terminated benefits: Disputes over whether the accident happened at work, pre-existing condition defenses, premature return-to-work pressure and sudden payment stoppages all call for a Mississippi workers’ compensation attorney who knows how carriers build these arguments.
What to Do Right After a Work Injury in Mississippi
Start with the deadline most people miss. You must report your injury to your employer within 30 days of the accident, and the sooner the better, in writing if you can. Do not rely on a casual comment to a foreman. Send a message or fill out the employer’s incident form, keep a copy, and write down the date, the people who saw it and exactly what you were doing. Mississippi covers you from your first day on the job, with no waiting period and no minimum earnings requirement, so a brand-new hire has the same right to benefits as someone with twenty years in.
Get medical care and be specific with every provider about how the injury happened. Vague histories (“my back just started hurting”) hand the carrier a pre-existing-condition argument. If the carrier or employer sends you to a particular doctor, go, but tell us promptly if that doctor releases you before you can actually do your job.
The second deadline is the one that quietly ends claims. Generally you have two years to file a Petition to Controvert with the Commission, counted from the date of injury or from the last compensation payment. If no disability benefits were ever paid and you did not file within the two years, the right to benefits is barred. Employer-paid medical bills alone do not necessarily stop that clock, which is one reason people who “thought it was being handled” get burned. These notice and filing rules are found in Miss. Code § 71-3-35.
Know where the case will be heard. The Commission itself administers the law and sits in Jackson, and cases are heard either at an evidentiary hearing before an Administrative Judge or, on review, before the Full Commission, which also meets in Jackson. A review by the Full Commission is not a new trial; the Commission looks at the record made before the Administrative Judge. After a final award, a party can appeal to the Mississippi Supreme Court within 30 days of the award being filed with the Commission and the parties being notified, and the Supreme Court often assigns those appeals to the Mississippi Court of Appeals. Appeals are decided on the Commission record only, so there is no second chance to add evidence.
Finally, a few things to avoid. Do not sign a recorded statement without talking to a lawyer. Do not skip treatment because the carrier is slow to approve it. Do not post about your activities online. And do not return to full duty because your supervisor is pressing you if your own doctor has not cleared you.
What Benefits a Mississippi Comp Claim Can Actually Pay
A successful claim covers reasonable and necessary medical treatment, wage-loss payments while you cannot work, and compensation for permanent impairment. Weekly wage-loss benefits for temporary total and permanent total disability are generally two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to a statutory weekly maximum that is adjusted periodically, and they cannot run longer than 450 weeks. Permanent partial disability in the “other cases” category is also capped at 450 weeks. There is a statutory weekly floor as well, with exceptions for partial dependency and partial disability.
Those numbers are only the starting point. The real fights are over average weekly wage (did the carrier count overtime, per diem and second jobs?), over whether you have reached maximum medical improvement, and over how much your injury reduces your ability to earn. A settlement, when it comes, should reflect lifetime medical needs and lost earning capacity, not just the next few paychecks.
When Someone Other Than Your Employer Caused the Injury
Comp is the exclusive remedy against your employer, but it is not the only source of recovery when a third party is at fault. A negligent driver who hits your work truck, a contractor whose unsafe site causes a fall, or a manufacturer of defective equipment can all face a separate injury claim. Mississippi follows pure comparative negligence, so your own share of fault reduces a third-party recovery rather than barring it, and most civil claims without a special limit must be filed within three years. Claims against a county or governmental agency carry a much shorter one-year limit and notice requirements. Our personal injury lawyers coordinate that claim with your comp claim so a settlement in one does not damage the other.
Mississippi Workers’ Comp Questions Injured Workers Ask
Do I need a lawyer for a Mississippi workers’ compensation claim?
Not every claim requires one, but if benefits have been denied, delayed, reduced or cut off, or your injury will keep you out of work for a long time, a lawyer can change the outcome. The carrier has adjusters and attorneys protecting its interests, and you should have someone protecting yours.
How long do I have to report my injury?
You must notify your employer within 30 days of the accident. Report it immediately and in writing if you can, because a late report gives the carrier an easy argument.
How long do I have to file a claim with the Commission?
Generally two years from the date of injury or the date of the last compensation payment. If no disability benefits were paid in that window and no claim was filed, the right to benefits is barred. Speak with an attorney early, because the exceptions are narrow.
Does my employer have to carry workers’ compensation coverage?
Mississippi employers with five or more employees must provide coverage, and an eligible worker is covered from the first day on the job with no waiting period.
How much does it cost to hire your firm?
Nothing up front. Consultations are free, we advance case costs, and we are paid only if we recover benefits or a settlement. Attorney fees in comp cases are limited and approved under state law.
What if the insurer says my injury is a pre-existing condition?
That does not automatically end your claim. If your job caused, worsened or accelerated the condition, you may still be entitled to benefits. Answering this argument with solid medical opinions is a core part of our work.
Who decides my case, a judge or a jury?
Neither a jury nor a circuit judge at the start. An Administrative Judge with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission hears the evidence. Either side can seek review by the Full Commission, which reviews the existing record rather than holding a new trial, and a final award can be appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court.
Can I choose my own doctor?
The rules on who selects and who can change treating physicians are specific, and the carrier often steers workers toward its own providers. Tell us before you switch doctors or accept a release, because a change made the wrong way can complicate your claim.
Can I be fired for filing a comp claim?
Mississippi protects workers from retaliation for filing a claim. If you were let go or punished after reporting an injury, tell us during your consultation so we can review your options.
What happens if I was partly at fault for the accident?
Comp is a no-fault system, so your own carelessness generally does not defeat a claim. Fault matters in a separate third-party injury case, where Mississippi’s comparative negligence rule reduces your recovery by your share of responsibility instead of barring it.
My injury developed over time. Can I still file?
Yes. Repetitive-use injuries and occupational illnesses are claims the system recognizes, though the timing questions are trickier because there may be no single accident date. Get a diagnosis, tell your employer, and call us before the filing deadlines get away from you.
What if I was hurt in Mississippi but my employer is based in Louisiana?
Which state’s law applies depends on where you were hired, where you work and where the injury occurred. Because we handle claims in both states, we can look at which system gives you the better path, including Louisiana’s own one-year filing rule for formal claims.
Serving Injured Workers Across Mississippi
Our workers’ compensation work reaches every corner of Mississippi. We represent clients throughout the Jackson metro, including Jackson, Madison, Ridgeland, Clinton, Flowood, Pearl, Brandon and Byram, along with the communities of Hinds, Rankin and Madison counties. Farther out, we help injured workers in Vicksburg, Natchez, McComb and Brookhaven, in Hattiesburg, Laurel, Meridian and Columbia, and along the Gulf Coast in Gulfport, Biloxi, Pascagoula and Bay St. Louis.
To the north we serve Southaven, Olive Branch, Oxford, Tupelo, Starkville and Columbus, and across the Delta in Greenville, Greenwood, Clarksdale and Cleveland. These are communities built on construction, trucking, oil field and industrial work, healthcare, public safety and manufacturing, which is where most of the claims we see begin. We also represent injured workers across the state line in Louisiana, in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles and Shreveport, so a worker whose job crosses the border does not have to find a second firm.
Talk With a Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Attorney Today
You do not have to sort out deadlines, medical disputes and an insurance company’s tactics while you are hurt and missing paychecks. A Mississippi workers’ compensation attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review what happened, tell you where your claim stands, and start building the record that protects it. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, consultations are free, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits for you. Call us today, or send your case details, and let us handle the carrier while you focus on getting well.
