Tendonitis Workers' Comp Claims And Settlements Explained

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Is tendonitis covered under workers’ comp in Michigan?

Yes. In Michigan, tendonitis is covered under workers’ comp benefits when job duties cause, accelerate, or aggravate the condition. Because this injury is classified as a repetitive strain injury (cumulative trauma disorder) rather than a single accident, a successful claim depends heavily on satisfying specific Michigan notice deadlines and filing rules.

Under Michigan law, a workers’ comp claim tendonitis commonly qualifies for full medical coverage and wage loss benefits when it develops in the shoulder (epicondylitis), elbow, wrist, knee, or ankle. To secure a redemption, an injured employee must establish that their specific repetitive job tasks directly led to the tendon inflammation, microscopic tears, or chronic pain.

Key Michigan rules for tendonitis workers’ comp claims

Cumulative Trauma Coverage: Michigan law covers injuries that develop gradually from repetitive motion, overuse, awkward posture, or heavy lifting.
Pre-Existing Conditions: If job duties aggravate or worsen existing tendonitis, the workers’ comp claim is still covered.
The 90-Day Notice Rule: Employees must notify their employer within 90 days of knowing, or reasonably should have known, that the condition is work-related. (MCL 418.381)
The Two-Year Filing Deadline: A claim must be filed within two years, starting from the injury date, the date the disability became apparent, or the last day of employment with that employer — whichever is later. (MCL 418.381)

What benefits does a Michigan tendonitis workers’ comp claim provide?

If your claim is approved, Michigan law provides the following statutory benefits:

Unlimited Medical Care: Covers 100% of necessary medical treatments, surgeries, physical therapy, and prescriptions with no deductibles.
Wage Loss Benefits: Replaces 80% of your after-tax weekly wages if your injury forces you to take time off or work restricted light-duty hours.
Vocational Rehabilitation: Provides job retraining or placement assistance if your repetitive strain prevents you from returning to your original job duties.
Mileage Reimbursement: Provides financial compensation for travel expenses incurred when traveling to and from medical appointments, physical therapy sessions, and independent medical examinations.

Unlimited medical care

All reasonable and necessary medical treatment should be covered under a workers’ comp claim for tendonitis. There are no co-payments or deductibles owed. We tell our clients to find the best doctor available and insist the insurance carrier pays the bills. It is a good idea to get an idea about future medical needs because this can be used to increase the value of any workplace injury redemption in Michigan.

Wage loss benefits

An employee who can’t work due to tendonitis is entitled to weekly workers’ comp wage loss benefits equal to 80% of their after-tax average weekly wage, subject to an annual state maximum. (MCL 418.351) That average weekly wage is calculated using the employee’s highest-earning 39 weeks out of the 52 weeks before the injury. (MCL 418.371) There’s a 7-day waiting period before benefits begin, but if the disability lasts 14 days or longer, the first week is paid retroactively.

Vocational rehabilitation

If tendonitis permanently prevents an employee from returning to their previous job, Michigan workers’ comp may cover vocational rehabilitation. (MCL 418.319) This can include job placement assistance, retraining, and education aimed at returning the employee to work at a wage comparable to what they earned before the injury. Vocational rehabilitation services generally run up to 52 weeks, with a possible 52-week extension approved by the agency director in certain cases.Insurers sometimes push vocational counselors to identify any available job rather than one that’s genuinely suitable, so it’s worth having the rehabilitation plan reviewed rather than accepted at face value.

Key factors that impact a tendonitis workers’ comp claim in Michigan

Choice of Doctor: Employees can choose their own treating physician after the first 28 days of care.
Future Medical Needs: Documenting anticipated future treatment can increase the value of a claim or redemption.
Independent Medical Exams (IMEs): Insurance-selected doctors are often used to justify cutting off treatment and these opinions can be challenged.
What Counts Toward Wages: Overtime, discontinued fringe benefits, and income from a second job must be included in the wage calculation.
Light Duty Limits: Employers cannot force light duty work that exceeds a doctor’s restrictions.
Wage-Earning Capacity Disputes: Insurers sometimes use “wage earning capacity” arguments to reduce or eliminate wage loss payments and these can be contested.

Choice of doctor

For the first 28 days of treatment, the employer or its insurance carrier chooses the treating physician. After that, the employee has the right to switch to a doctor of their own choosing by giving the employer the name of the new physician and notice of intent to treat with them. MCL 418.315(1) This matters for a tendonitis workers’ comp claim because the first doctor often decides whether job duties get documented as the cause, while switching doctors after day 28 gives the employee more say in that record. If the employer objects to the new doctor, they must show cause at a hearing before a workers’ compensation magistrate; the employee isn’t automatically switched back.

Future medical needs

Documenting anticipated future treatment for tendonitis — additional injections, physical therapy, or surgery — can significantly increase the value of a workers’ comp claim or settlement. In Michigan, a lump-sum redemption is legally called a redemption and an employee generally must wait at least 6 months from the date of injury before a redemption can be approved. (MCL 418.835) If future medical costs are part of the redemption and the employee is on or approaching Medicare eligibility, a portion of the payout may need to be set aside in a Medicare Set-Aside (MSA) account to cover future injury-related treatment before Medicare will pay anything toward it.

Independent medical exams (IMEs)

The employer or its insurance carrier, not the employee, has the right to require an independent medical examination at reasonable intervals during a claim. (MCL 418.385) Despite the name, an IME is not neutral: the examining physician is chosen and paid by the insurance company, and the exam is not treatment. Its purpose is to generate a report the insurer can use to dispute, reduce, or terminate workers’ comp benefits for tendonitis. Employees do have protections built into the process: the employer must give proper notice, cover all exam-related costs, and the employee is entitled to attend with a witness and to request a copy of the resulting report. Skipping a scheduled IME can result in an automatic suspension of benefits, so attendance is required even though the exam works in the insurer’s favor.

What counts towards wages

When calculating the average weekly wage used to set wage loss benefits for a tendonitis claim, Michigan workers’ comp law requires more than just base pay. Overtime and bonuses earned during the relevant 39 weeks are included, not just regular hours (MCL 418.371) If an employer stops paying for fringe benefits the employee had before the injury — such as health insurance — the value of those discontinued benefits gets added into the wage calculation as well. Income from a second job also counts, as long as the employer was aware the employee held that job before the injury occurred. Insurers sometimes calculate the average weekly wage using only base pay from a single job, which can understate what an employee is actually owed — this is one of the more common places where wage loss benefits get shortchanged.

Light duty limits

A light duty job offer for a workers’ comp tendonitis claim only counts as “reasonable employment” if it fits within the employee’s medical restrictions and doesn’t pose a clear and proximate threat to their health or safety. (MCL 418.401(9)) An employer cannot satisfy this standard simply by assigning tasks it believes an employee can handle — the job must actually match the limitations set by the employee’s treating physician. If a light duty offer exceeds those restrictions, the employee generally isn’t required to accept it, and refusing an unsafe or non-compliant offer shouldn’t be treated as walking away from work. That said, an employee typically shouldn’t simply walk off the job — the safer path is to document how the assigned duties conflict with the doctor’s written restrictions and raise the issue before refusing outright, since an improper resignation can risk the wage loss benefits at stake.

Wage earning capacity disputes

Under MCL 418.301, once an employee returns to work and stays employed for a certain length of time, the law can presume they’ve established a new “wage earning capacity” — and insurers often use this presumption to reduce or cut off wage loss benefits, arguing the employee is now capable of earning what they did before the injury. This presumption isn’t automatic or permanent: if an employee with a tendonitis claim was employed for 100 weeks or more but less than 250 weeks, a workers’ comp magistrate can determine that the employment hasn’t actually established a new wage earning capacity, in which case benefits continue to be based on the original pre-injury average weekly wage. Because these disputes turn on specific facts — how long the employee worked, what they earned, and whether the new job reflects a genuine return to prior earning capacity — a wage-earning capacity argument from an insurer isn’t the final word and can be challenged.

Watch out for insurance companies

Watch out for insurance companies who dispute claims. They use so called “independent” doctors to say a person is fine and can work. It does not matter what their own doctor says. Biased medical reports should be challenged with other evidence. It will be up to a magistrate to determine whether medical and/or wage loss benefits should be paid.

Steps to file a tendonitis workers’ comp claim in Michigan

Report the injury within 90 days: Notify your employer in writing as soon as you realize your injury is job-related. Under Michigan law, you must give notice within 90 days of the injury date.
Seek immediate medical treatment: See a doctor to get an official medical diagnosis explicitly tying your injury to your specific repetitive work tasks.
Establish the “Date of Injury”: For repetitive strain injuries in Michigan, your injury date is legally defined as either the day you first received medical treatment or the day you became disabled from working.
File the claim within two years: Submit your formal workplace injury claim within the strict Michigan two-year statutory filing deadline.

Michigan tendonitis workers’ comp settlements at a glance

Settlement Definition: A Michigan redemption is a tax-free, lump-sum “redemption” that permanently trades future wage and medical benefits for a single cash payment.

Repetitive Stress Rules: Under Michigan law, tendonitis is classified as a cumulative trauma injury, meaning benefits apply even without a single, specific workplace accident.

Wage Loss Calculation: Redemption values are heavily based on your Average Weekly Wage (AWW), which dictates your weekly wage loss benefit rate (typically 80% of your after-tax value).

Future Medical Costs: The payout size depends directly on proving the necessity of future medical treatments, including specialized surgeries, physical therapy, and injections.

Vocational Impact: Redemptions increase significantly if permanent restrictions prevent you from returning to your specific job, allowing funds to be used for vocational retraining or retirement.

Michigan law allows disabled employees to trade tendonitis workers’ comp benefits for a settlement. This amount of money is tax free and can be used for any purpose. Many of our clients use redemption money for medical treatment or vocational retraining. Some find a new job, start a business, or simply retire. It is a good option when a person can no longer perform the requirements of their job.

In Michigan, most of these claims are paid voluntarily. The insurance company covers medical bills and lost wages. Employees get better and return to work. Employees who find benefits disputed should talk with an attorney. It is possible to get a lump sum cash payment through a redemption.

The decision to settle a claim is not easy. Careful thought should be given to medical needs and return to work ability. We recommend coming up with a plan for the future and trying to get enough money to make it viable. Unfortunately, insurance companies think of a redemption as a business decision. They don’t want to pay anything but the bare minimum. This means proving entitlement to future medical treatment and wage loss benefits is critical to getting a fair settlement. Contact an experienced attorney to understand legal rights and get a fair redemption amount.

What is the average workers’ comp settlement for tendonitis in Michigan?

While there is no specific statutory average workers’ comp settlement for tendonitis, the overall average for all Michigan work-related injury claims was $76,475 in 2025, according to data published by the Workers’ Disability Compensation Agency.

Final redemption payouts are determined on a case-by-case basis using the following metrics:

Future Medical Requirements: The total projected cost of prospective surgeries, imaging, injections, and physical rehab.
Wage Loss Exposure: The weekly benefit rate multiplied by the estimated number of years of remaining disability.
Extent of Continuing Disability: The length of time medical and vocational evidence supports your inability to return to gainful employment.
Permanent Restrictions: Long-term work limitations or reduced earning capacity can increase redemption value beyond a short-term injury.
Degree of Dispute: How much the insurer is contesting the claim affects how much they’re willing to pay to close it out rather than litigate.

How are tendonitis workers’ comp settlements calculated in Michigan?

Michigan does not use a fixed formula or automated settlement calculator. Instead, workers’ comp insurance companies and attorneys evaluate four specific legal pillars to determine the lump-sum cash value of a tendonitis settlement claim:

Medical care: The calculated cost of all anticipated future medical treatments related to your injury, including physical therapy, orthopedic specialist visits, cortisone injections, or surgery.
Wage replacement: Your average weekly wage history determines your base compensation rate, which is legally established at 80% of your after-tax average weekly wage for the duration of your inability to work.
Disability level: The severity of your physical restrictions, specifically looking at whether your chronic tendonitis permanently prevents you from returning to your prior job duties or limits the vocational use of your arm, wrist, or hand.
Pre-existing conditions: An evaluation of whether your current work duties explicitly aggravated, accelerated, or contributed to a underlying degenerative condition, which determines the insurance company’s legal liability.

Key rules to know about Michigan workers’ comp tendonitis settlements

Navigating a workers’ comp claim for tendonitis requires a clear understanding of the specific statutes governing workplace injuries under Michigan law:

Repetitive stress: Tendonitis is legally classified as a cumulative trauma or repetitive stress injury in Michigan, meaning you are eligible for benefits even without a single, specific workplace accident.
No pain and suffering: Michigan workers’ compensation is a no-fault system that provides fixed economic benefits, meaning you cannot recover additional financial compensation for pain and suffering.
Statute of limitations: To preserve your rights, you must report your injury to your employer within 90 days of discovery and officially file a formal claim within 2 years.
Exclusive remedy: The exclusive remedy provision means you generally cannot sue your employer in civil court for a workplace injury, as workers’ comp is your sole legal recourse.

Why choose Michigan Workers’ Comp Lawyers for a tendonitis claim or settlement?

If you or a loved one is suffering with tendonitis due to job duties, choosing Michigan Workers’ Comp Lawyers means your claim will be handled by attorneys with decades of focused experience in this area of law. We don’t just handle workplace accident claims—we specialize in them, bringing over 40 years of deep knowledge of our state’s employee insurance system to every case.

Our team’s credentials speak for themselves: founding attorney Alex Berman has been recognized as a Super Lawyer for ten consecutive years and received the Hall of Fame Award from the State Bar of Workers’ Compensation Law Section. Jeffrey E. Kaufman and Andrea L. Hamm have earned Super Lawyer status after years of Rising Star recognition, and our attorneys—including Todd Barry and William E. Gray—have consistently been named Top Lawyers in Metro Detroit by DBusiness Magazine.

Backed by a proven track record of securing the highest reported settlements in state history, these achievements reflect real, verifiable expertise and sustained performance. This gives you absolute confidence that your claim will be handled with the maximum authority, skill, and attention it deserves.

Suffering from tendonitis caused by work activities and have questions about your Michigan workers’ comp claim or settlement options? Call our attorneys now for a free consultation!

If you are suffering from tendonitis caused by job activities in Michigan and need help with your workers’ comp claim or have questions about settlement options, call now at (855) 221-2667 or fill out our contact form for a free consultation with an experienced lawyer. There is absolutely no cost or obligation. We’re here to help.

For more than 40 years, our lawyers have been helping people like you who have suffered from on-the-job injuries in Michigan. We understand the physical, emotional, and psychological hardships you are experiencing from your accident. We also have the skill, experience, and know-how to protect you and get you the best possible payout amount for your case.

To see what our own clients have to say about the caring, compassion, and communication they received from us, you can read in their own words about their experience here on our testimonials page from clients we have helped.

Remember, every work injury claim is different and must be negotiated on its own merits. Do not accept any payout amount without fully understanding your legal rights.

Our law firm has consistently secured the largest settlements in the state and is the best choice for your case. We never charge a fee to evaluate a potential case. Our law firm has represented injured and disabled employees exclusively for more than 40 years. Call (855) 221-2667 for a free consultation today.

Related information:

Repetitive Strain Injury And Workers’ Compensation Claims Explained