$0 is what workers end up with when they listen to a boss saying "use your own insurance" and keep quiet.

The correct move is to treat this as two separate tracks if a city or state agency was involved: workers' comp through Hawaii, and a possible government injury claim against the agency that caused the harm.

If you were injured in Pearl City by a City and County of Honolulu vehicle, road crew, public property defect, or another government worker, your employer does not get to veto your claim. If it was on the job, report the injury to your employer right away and push the workers' comp claim through the Hawaii Disability Compensation Division. If the employer drags its feet, workers often file the employee claim form directly to get the process moving.

Your boss also cannot legally punish you for filing workers' comp. Hawaii law, HRS § 386-142, bars an employer from firing you or discriminating against you because you claimed benefits. Cutting hours, pushing you out, or suddenly "not having work" after you report the injury can become its own problem for the employer.

The government-claim side is where people get blindsided. Claims against the State of Hawaii or a county follow different rules than a normal car wreck case. The deadline can be as short as 2 years, and evidence disappears fast - surveillance, vehicle data, work logs, and maintenance records. Around holiday weekends in Pearl City, when traffic spikes and city vehicles are everywhere, that matters.

Do this fast:

• Report the injury in writing.
• Get medical care and say it happened at work.
• Identify the government agency involved: City and County of Honolulu, HDOT, or another state entity.
• Keep photos, witness names, and the vehicle or unit number.

If your boss is telling you to use your own health insurance instead, that is a red flag, not a rule.