In the context of workers' compensation law, a clincher agreement refers to a settlement in a workers’ compensation case. A clincher agreement requires the worker to give up all rights to future workers' compensation benefits in exchange for a sum of money.
A clincher agreement usually takes into account the cost of any future medical treatment, the worker's rating, and a time period for the worker to find a job within his/her restrictions. By signing a clincher, the worker is responsible for his/her own medical treatment and, in most cases, for finding a new job. The insurance company is usually only willing to settle a claim this way if there is no longer any work available for the worker at the old job, or if the worker is willing to resign from the old job.
