Yes - sometimes workers' comp is your only path, and sometimes it is only half the case.

Picture this in Mitchell: you're driving past lane shifts on I-90 near Exit 332 during construction season, or working roadside near Burr Street when a subcontractor's truck, a defective tool, or another driver causes the injury. Before you know the rule, everything looks like one claim. It isn't.

Before: you may assume South Dakota workers' comp covers the bills and that's the end of it. If your injury happened in the course of your job, workers' comp usually is the exclusive remedy against your employer. That means you generally cannot sue your employer for pain and suffering. In South Dakota, that claim goes through the workers' compensation system, usually handled with the employer's carrier and disputes through the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation.

For a veteran, that confusion gets worse because VA benefits, workers' comp, and a civil injury claim are three separate systems. The VA may treat you, but it does not replace a claim against a negligent outside company.

After: once you know the difference, the value question changes. If only your employer caused the injury, your recovery is usually limited to medical care, wage-loss benefits, and impairment benefits under workers' comp. No pain-and-suffering damages there.

But if a third party caused or helped cause it - like a road contractor, equipment maker, delivery driver, property owner, or nursing home vendor - you may have a separate personal injury claim on top of workers' comp. That second claim can include pain and suffering, full lost income, and other damages workers' comp does not pay.

South Dakota's general personal injury deadline is usually 3 years, while workers' comp notice and filing deadlines are different and shorter-moving in practice. So the hassle is usually worth it only if someone besides your employer may be legally responsible. That is the difference between a limited benefits claim and a real dual-track case.