Maine Accidents Dictionary

Legal and insurance terms explained plainly

You just got a letter that says your injury may not have "arisen out of employment." That phrase means there must be a real connection between the job and the injury. In...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-27

average weekly wage

This number can make or break how much money comes in after a work injury. If your back goes out loading equipment, or you get bounced around in a crash on a frost-heaved road...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-31

Cervical radiculopathy

Yes - this is more than "neck pain"; cervical radiculopathy means a nerve in the neck has been irritated, inflamed, or compressed, causing pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-21

compensation rate

You just got a letter that says your weekly workers' comp check will be a certain amount, and the number looks lower than you expected. That number is the compensation rate:...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-26

compensatory damages

Money awarded to repay a person for actual harm caused by someone else. "Repay" is the key idea. Compensatory damages are meant to make an injured person whole, at least...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-23

course and scope of employment

Work done for an employer as part of a job. "Course" focuses on when, where, and under what circumstances the activity happened. "Scope" focuses on whether the activity was...

DICTIONARY 2026-04-02

cumulative trauma

An injury that builds up over time from repeated stress instead of one sudden event. "Builds up over time" is the key part. A bad shoulder from years of overhead lifting, numb...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-24

diminished quality of life

Not the same as a pile of medical bills, lost wages, or a permanent disability rating. It is also not limited to being bedridden or unable to work. Diminished quality of life...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-23

economic damages

These are the dollars-and-cents losses that often drive the value of an injury claim. If a crash, fall, or workplace accident leaves someone with hospital bills, missed...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-23

exclusive remedy doctrine

A rule in workers' compensation law that usually makes workers' comp benefits an injured employee's only recovery against the employer for a job-related injury, even when the...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-30

functional capacity evaluation

A functional capacity evaluation is a test of what work-related physical activities a person can safely do. "Functional" means everyday job tasks, not just a diagnosis on...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-30

going and coming rule

This rule can decide whether medical bills and lost-wage benefits get paid or denied after a crash or other injury on the way to work or on the way home. If the insurer says...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-30

impairment rating

Not a score for how much pain someone feels, and not a simple yes-or-no answer to whether a person can still work. An impairment rating is a medical estimate of how much...

DICTIONARY 2026-04-01

independent medical exam

Your benefits, wage checks, and even whether an injury gets taken seriously can turn on one doctor's report. Despite the name, an independent medical exam is not automatically...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-27

light duty

You just got a letter that says your doctor has released you to return to work, but only with restrictions: no heavy lifting, no climbing, and limited standing. That usually...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-29

mandatory reporter

This started with a simple rule: when certain workers see signs of abuse, they do not get to stay quiet. Maine uses that idea today to protect older adults, especially nursing...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-21

maximum medical improvement

Like reaching the point in rehab where the gains become small and steady instead of dramatic, maximum medical improvement means a person's condition has healed as much as...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-26

modified duty

You just got a letter that says your doctor cleared you for "modified duty," and suddenly everyone has an opinion. One person says you have to go back no matter what. Another...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-30

occupational disease

Like rust that builds up from repeated exposure to moisture, some job-related harm does not happen in one sudden moment. It develops over time because of what a person...

DICTIONARY 2026-04-03

pain and suffering

People often mix up pain and suffering with emotional distress, but they are not identical. Pain and suffering covers the physical pain, discomfort, limits on movement, and...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-22

permanent partial disability

Think of a door that still opens, but never all the way after the frame gets bent. It works, just not like it used to. In legal and insurance settings, permanent partial...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-25

permanent total disability

A lasting physical or mental condition that leaves a person unable to perform any meaningful work on a sustained basis is generally considered a permanent total disability. The...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-23

return-to-work order

You may see this in a doctor's note, an insurer letter, or a call from an employer saying you've been "released back" to the job. Usually, it means a medical provider has said...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-30

scheduled injury

Not every workplace injury is a "scheduled" one, and the biggest misunderstanding is thinking the label means the injury happened on a schedule or that every serious injury...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-28

second injury fund

People often confuse a second injury fund with a preexisting condition. A preexisting condition is the worker's earlier medical problem or permanent impairment. A second injury...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-29

temporary partial disability

Not a finding that someone is permanently unable to work, and not the same as being completely off the job. It means an injury or illness has caused a temporary loss of earning...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-29

third-party claim

Miss this issue after a serious injury, and money can be left on the table. A third-party claim is a claim against someone other than the person or business directly tied to...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-27

unscheduled injury

What does it mean if an injury is "unscheduled"? It means the injury does not fall on a fixed statutory list of body parts or losses that carry preset benefit amounts. In...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-25

utilization review

The worst-case outcome is a denied surgery, medication, or therapy plan because no one recognized that the insurer was questioning whether the care was medically necessary....

DICTIONARY 2026-03-30

vocational rehabilitation

Insurance companies and defense lawyers sometimes use this phrase to make it sound like an injured worker should quickly switch careers, take any lighter job, or accept that...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-27