In Hawaii, an insurer that wants to end your weekly checks has to warn you first. The law requires at least two weeks' written notice to you and to the Director before the last payment. Temporary total disability checks keep going as long as the disability lasts, unless the Director orders otherwise or you can resume work.
You also pick your treating physician. The Division says you choose your own doctor on the island where you live and you may change doctors once after telling the insurer.
What Hawaii pays while you cannot work
The weekly benefit is two-thirds of your average weekly wage. For injuries in 2026, the Division's wage base sheet puts the weekly maximum at $1,240.
The first 3 calendar days of disability are not paid. After that, the first check is due no later than the 10th day after your employer is told about the disability, unless the claim is disputed. A missing check with no dispute on file is worth asking about the same day. Our guide to checks that stopped lists the questions to put to the adjuster.
| Weekly check | two-thirds (66 2/3%) of your average weekly wage |
|---|---|
| Weekly cap, injuries in 2026 | $1,240 |
| Waiting period | the first 3 calendar days of disability are unpaid |
| How long temporary checks last | for as long as the temporary total disability lasts; stopped only by a Director order or when you can resume work |
Time limits on a Hawaii claim
- Tell your employer in writing as soon as practicable after the injury.
- File your claim with the Director within two years after the effects of the injury become manifest (plain to you) and in every case within five years of the accident.
- Appeal a Division decision to the Labor and Industrial Relations Appeals Board within 20 days of the date it was mailed.
Twenty days goes by quickly and the count starts at mailing, not when the envelope reaches you. Write the mailing date down the moment you open it.
If your Hawaii claim is disputed
Once the employer disputes the claim, the 10-day payment rule stops applying and the Director decides who is right. A denial letter from the insurer is only its side of the story. If the Director's decision goes against you, the next stop is the Appeals Board, inside that 20-day window.
Unsure what your notice is actually saying? Paste it into our letter explainer for a plain reading.
Fees for a Hawaii workers comp lawyer
No attorney fee in a Hawaii comp case is valid until someone with authority signs off on it. Under HRS section 386-94, the Director approves fees or the appeals board or court does when the case is on appeal. That keeps the amount on the record instead of in a private deal.
Questions about how fees are usually figured are covered in our fee explainer.
Hawaii's Disability Compensation Division
The Disability Compensation Division of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations runs the claim system and issues decisions. You can phone it at 808-586-9188.
People also ask
Can I switch doctors in Hawaii?
Yes, one time. Notify the insurer before you change and pick a physician on the island where you live.
Can the insurer stop my checks without warning?
Not legally. It must send you and the Director written notice at least two weeks before the last payment.