Does Colorado Workers’ Comp Pay for Help at Home After a Work Injury?

 Posted on October 30, 2026 in Workers' Compensation

Recovering at home after a work injury does not always mean you are capable of managing on your own. Tasks such as bathing or getting out of bed could become difficult without another person’s help.

Colorado workers’ compensation covers certain home care services when a work injury makes them reasonably necessary. However, it does not pay for every household task you can no longer perform. If you need home help during your recovery in 2026, our Fort Collins, CO workers’ compensation attorneys will explain which benefits to pursue.

What Types of Home Care Does Colorado Workers’ Comp Cover?

Under C.R.S. § 8-42-101, workers’ compensation must provide treatment reasonably needed to cure or relieve the effects of a work injury. Depending on your condition, that includes nursing services or assistance with personal care at home.

Covered help could involve wound care or assistance moving safely between a bed and wheelchair. It could also include an attendant to help with bathing or using the bathroom when injuries prevent the person from doing so safely on their own.

Not every covered service requires a licensed nurse. Colorado courts have recognized that assistance from someone without medical training qualifies when it meets the legal standard for necessary care. The task and the worker’s needs determine what level of help is appropriate.

Does Colorado Workers’ Comp Pay for Housekeeping or Childcare?

Difficulty keeping up with chores does not, by itself, establish a right to paid household help. The service must have a qualifying connection to treatment or relief of the work injury.

Housekeeping sometimes qualifies when it is part of necessary attendant care. For example, an attendant helping a severely injured worker with personal hygiene might also handle limited cleaning connected to that care. A request for general cleaning because vacuuming hurts your back presents a different question.

Childcare also needs a specific medical basis. Being unable to handle your usual parenting duties does not automatically make replacement childcare a workers’ comp benefit. Courts have distinguished ordinary family needs from services that enable treatment or directly relieve injury symptoms.

The request should explain the purpose of each service rather than group everything under "help around the house."

Can a Family Member Be Paid to Provide Home Care in Colorado?

A family member can receive payment for necessary care related to your work injury. The services must go beyond the ordinary help family members provide, such as sharing routine household chores.

For example, a spouse who helps you get into bed and use the bathroom because of a serious injury could qualify as a paid caregiver. Being your spouse does not make that care unpaid by default.

The caregiver must also be able to perform the approved tasks safely. Some services require professional training, while others do not. Before a relative begins providing paid care, confirm which duties and hours the insurer will cover, the payment rate, and how to submit records of the work performed.

How Do You Request Home Care Through Colorado Workers’ Comp?

Start with your authorized treating provider. Explain which activities you cannot safely manage and what happens when you attempt them without help. A lifting restriction alone might not explain why you need assistance bathing.

Ask the provider to document:

• The injury-related limits that make assistance necessary
• The specific tasks another person should perform
• How often help is needed and for how long
• Whether the tasks call for a nurse or another type of caregiver
• When your need for assistance should be reassessed

The provider’s request should then go through the insurer’s approval process. Confirm what services and hours are authorized before arranging paid care. A recommendation for two visits per week does not establish approval for someone to remain with you all day.

Keep a copy of the request and the response so you know exactly what has been approved.

What if the Colorado Workers’ Comp Insurer Denies Your Request for Home Care?

Ask for the denial and its reasons in writing. The insurer might dispute whether assistance is medically necessary or whether the proposed service belongs under workers’ compensation.

Your response should address that objection. If the insurer says the request lacks detail, your provider should explain the specific risks of managing alone. If only some hours are approved, identify which necessary tasks remain uncovered.

An unresolved dispute over medical benefits can be presented to an administrative law judge. Your attorney will assess the appropriate hearing process and whether an urgent medical need supports faster consideration.

Contact Our Larimer County, CO Workers’ Compensation Lawyers

Your recovery should include a discussion of the help you need at home after a work injury. At Hoggatt Law Office, P.C., our attorneys will help you document your care needs and challenge improper benefit denials.

Attorney Darby Hoggatt is a member of the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association and the Workers’ Compensation Education Association. Contact our Fort Collins, CO workers’ compensation attorneys or call 970-225-2190 for a free consultation.

Se habla español.