Filing a Workers Compensation Claim

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If you've been injured or become ill at work, you may need to file for workers' compensation. Workers' compensation pays for medical care, rehabiliation, and some wage replacement if you have to miss work. To get these benefits, you must file a claim and follow your state's procedures carefully. 

Filing a Claim

Get immediate medical care if your injury requires it. You must then inform your employer of your injury as soon as possible. This is a tricky part of processing a workers’ comp claim, since states have wildly different limits on the number of days you have to notify your employer; in most states, the limit is one month, but the range is from a few days to two years.

In the unlikely event that your employer refuses to cooperate with you in filing a workers’ compensation claim, a call to your local workers’ compensation office will usually remedy the situation.

Typically, your employer will have claim forms for you to fill out and submit or can obtain a form quickly. It then becomes your employer’s responsibility to submit the paperwork to the proper insurance carrier. Depending on state law, you—rather than your employer—may need to file a separate claim with your state’s workers’ compensation agency. There is a time limit on this, too—often a year after injury. But your state may have a shorter limit.

If your claim is not disputed by your employer or its insurance carrier, it will be approved and an adjuster for the insurance company will typically contact you or your employer with instructions on how to submit your medical bills for payment. But be prepared; things do not always go smoothly. The employer, in an attempt to keep workers’ comp rates from skyrocketing, may fight your right to benefits. The best way you can counteract such disputes is by producing good documentation, including complete medical records, of your injury and treatment.

If your injury is not permanent and does not cause you to lose income, getting payment for your medical bills will probably be the extent of your claim; there won't be much else for you to do. If you are temporarily unable to work because of your injury, you will also begin receiving checks to cover your wage loss—typically within a week or two after your claim is approved. Your employer will notify the insurance company to stop sending you wage-replacement checks as soon as you recover and return to work.

Finding Your State Workers' Compensation Office

The listings below will enable you to contact the agency handling workers’ compensation claims in your state. Many states also operate dedicated hotlines and websites. While they vary in comprehensiveness, they should provide the basic information you’ll need to decide whether and how to pursue a claim.

Alabama

Workers’ Compensation Division

Department of Industrial Relations

Industrial Relations Building

649 Monroe Street

Montgomery, AL 36131

334-242-2868

800-528-5166

FAX: 334-353-8262

http://dir.alabama.gov/wc

Alaska

Department of Labor Division of Workers’ Compensation

P.O. Box 115512

Juneau, AK 99811

907-465-2790

FAX: 907-465-2797

http://labor.state.ak.us/wc/home.htm

Arizona

State Compensation Fund

3030 N. 3rd Street

Phoenix, AZ 85012

602-631-2300

800-231-1363

FAX: 602-631-2213

www.scfaz.com

Arkansas

Workers’ Compensation Commission

324 Spring Street

P.O. Box 950

Little Rock, AR 72203

501-682-3930

800-622-4472

TDD: 800-285-1131

www.awcc.state.ar.us

California

Department of Industrial Relations

Division of Workers’ Compensation

1515 Clay Street, 17th Floor

Oakland, CA 94612

510-286-7100

800-736-7401

www.dir.ca.gov

Colorado

Department of Labor and Employment

Division of Workers’ Compensation

633 17th Street, Suite 400

Denver, CO 80202

303-318-8700

888-390-7936

FAX: 303-318-8710

www.coworkforce.com/dwc

Connecticut

Workers’ Compensation Commission

21 Oak Street

Hartford, CT 06106

860-493-1500

FAX: 860-247-1361

http://wcc.state.ct.us/index.html

Delaware

Office of Workers’ Compensation

4425 N. Market Street

3rd Floor

Wilmington, DE 19802

302-761-8200

FAX: 302-761-6601

http://dia.delawareworks.com/workers-comp/

District of Columbia

Office of Workers’ Compensation

64 New York Avenue, NE

2nd Floor

Washington, DC 20002

202-671-1000

http://does.dc.gov/does/cwp/view,a,1232,q,537428.asp

Florida

Division of Workers’ Compensation

200 E. Gaines Street

Tallahassee, FL 32399

850-413-1600

800-742-2214

FAX: 850-488-2305

www.myfloridacfo.com/WC

Georgia

State Board of Workers’ Compensation

270 Peachtree Street, NW

Atlanta, GA 30303

404-656-3875

www.sbwc.georgia.gov

Hawaii

Department of Labor & Industrial Relations

Disability Compensation Division

830 Punchbowl Street, Room 209

P.O. Box 3769

Honolulu, HI 96813

808-586-9161

FAX: 808-586-9099

www.hawaii.gov/labor

Idaho

Industrial Commission

317 Main Street

P.O. Box 83720

Boise, ID 83720

208-334-6000

FAX: 208-334-2321

www.iic.idaho.gov

Illinois

Workers’ Compensation Commission

100 W. Randolph Street

Suite 8-200

Chicago, IL 60601

312-814-6611

866-352-3033

www.state.il.us/agency/iic

Indiana

Workers’ Compensation Board

402 W. Washington Street, Room W-196

Indianapolis, IN 46204

317-232-3809

800-824-2667

www.in.gov/wcb

Iowa

Division of Workers’ Compensation

1000 E. Grand Avenue

Des Moines, IA 50319

515-281-5387

800-562-4692

www.iowaworkforce.org/wc

Kansas

Division of Workers’ Compensation

800 SW Jackson Street

Topeka, KS 66612

785-296-2996

800-332-0353

http://dia.delawareworks.com/workers-comp/

Kentucky

Office of Workers’ Claims

657 Chamberlin Avenue

Frankfort, KY 40601

502-564-5550, ext. 4423

www.labor.ky.gov/workersclaims

Louisiana

Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration

1001 N. 23rd Street

P.O. Box 94040

Baton Rouge, LA 70804

225-342-7555

FAX: 225-342-5665

www.laworks.net/WorkersComp/OWC_MainMenu.asp

Maine

Workers’ Compensation Board

27 State House Station

Augusta, ME 04333

207-287-3751

888-801-9087

TTY: 207-287-6119

FAX: 207-207-7198

www.maine.gov/wcb

Maryland

Workers’ Compensation Insurance

8722 Loch Raven Boulevard

Towson, MD 21286

410-494-2000

800-264-4943

www.iwif.com

Massachusetts

Workers’ Compensation Advisory Council

600 Washington Street

Boston, MA 02111

617-727-4900, ext. 378

FAX: 617-727-7122

www.state.ma.us/wcac

Michigan

Workers’ Compensation Agency

7150 Harris Drive

1st Floor, B Wing

Dimondale, MI 48821

517-322-1106

888-396-5041

www.michigan.gov/wca

Minnesota

Department of Labor & Industry

Workers’ Compensation Division

443 Lafayette Road N

St. Paul, MN 55155

651-284-5005

800-342-5354

TTY: 651-297-4198

www.dli.mn.gov/WorkComp.asp

Mississippi

Workers’ Compensation Commission

1428 Lakeland Drive

Jackson, MS 39216

601-987-4247

866-473-6922

www.mwcc.state.ms.us

Missouri

Division of Workers’ Compensation

3315 W. Truman Boulevard

Room 131

P.O. Box 58

Jefferson City, MO 65102

573-751-4231

800-775-2667

http://labor.mo.gov/DWC/

Montana

Workers’ Compensation Court

1625 11th Avenue

Helena, MT 59624

406-444-7794

FAX: 406-444-7798

http://wcc.dli.mt.gov/whoweare.asp

Nebraska

Workers’ Compensation Court

Capitol Building

P.O. Box 98908

Lincoln, NE 68509

402-471-6468

800-599-5155

www.wcc.ne.gov

Nevada

Division of Industrial Relations

400 W. King Street

Suite 400

Carson City, NV 89703

775-684-7260

FAX: 775-687-6305

http://dirweb.state.nv.us

New Hampshire

Workers’ Compensation Division

95 Pleasant Street

Concord, NH 03301

603-271-3176

800-272-4353

www.labor.state.nh.us/workers_compensation.asp

New Jersey

Division of Workers’ Compensation

P.O. Box 381

Trenton, NJ 08625

609-292-2414

FAX: 609-984-2515

http://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/labor/wc/wc_index.html

New Mexico

Workers’ Compensation Administration

2410 Centre Avenue, SE

P.O. Box 27198

Albuquerque, NM 87125

505-841-6000

800-255-7965

http://www.workerscomp.state.nm.us/

New York

Workers’ Compensation Board

20 Park Street

Albany, NY 12207

866-750-5157

877-632-4996

FAX: 518-473-9166

http://www.wcb.ny.gov/

North Carolina

Industrial Commission

4340 Mail Service Center

Raleigh, NC 27699

919-807-2501

FAX: 919-715-0280

www.ic.nc.gov

North Dakota

Workforce Safety & Insurance

1600 E. Century Avenue

Suite 1

Bismarck, ND 58503

701-328-3800

800-777-5033

TDD: 701-328-3786

www.workforcesafety.com

Ohio

Bureau of Workers’ Compensation

30 W. Spring Street

Columbus, OH 43215

800-644-6292

FAX: 800-520-6446

www.ohiobwc.com

Oklahoma

Workers’ Compensation Court

1915 N. Stiles Avenue

Oklahoma City, OK 73105

405-522-8600

800-522-8210

www.owcc.state.ok.us

Oregon

Workers’ Compensation Division

350 Winter Street, NE

P.O. Box 14480

Salem, OR 97309

503-947-7810

800-452-0288

TTY: 503-947-7993

www.cbs.state.or.us/external/wcd/index.html

Pennsylvania

Bureau of Workers’ Compensation

Department of Labor & Industry

1171 S. Cameron Street

Room 324

Harrisburg, PA 17104

717-772-4447

800-482-2383

TTY: 800-362-4228

www.dli.state.pa.us

Rhode Island

Division of Workers’ Compensation

1511 Pontiac Avenue

Building 71-1, 1st Floor

P.O. Box 20190

Cranston, RI 02920

401-462-8100

TDD: 401-462-8006

www.dlt.ri.gov/wc

South Carolina

Workers’ Compensation Commission

1333 Main Street, Suite 500

P.O. Box 1715

Columbia, SC 29201

803-737-5700

FAX: 803-737-5768

http://www.wcc.sc.gov

South Dakota

Division of Labor and Management

Department of Labor

Kneip Building

700 Governors Drive

Pierre, SD 57501

605-773-3681

FAX: 605-773-4211

http://dlr.sd.gov/workerscomp/

Tennessee

Workers’ Compensation Division

220 French Landing Drive

Nashville, TN 37243

800-332-2667

615-532-4812

FAX: 615-532-1468

www.tn.gov/labor-wfd/wcomp.html

Texas

Division of Workers’ Compensation

7551 Metro Center Drive

Suite 100

Austin, TX 78744

512-804-4000

FAX: 512-804-4401

www.tdi.state.tx.us/wc/index.html

Utah

Industrial Accidents Division

160 E. 300 S, 3rd Floor

Salt Lake City, UT 84114

801-530-6800

800-530-5090

FAX: 801-530-6390

http://laborcommission.utah.gov

Vermont

Workers’ Compensation Division

Department of Labor

5 Green Mountain Drive

P.O. Box 488

Montpelier, VT 05601

802-828-2286

FAX: 802-828-2195

www.labor.vermont.gov/Business/WorkersCompensation/tabid/
114/Default.aspx

Virginia

Workers’ Compensation Commission

1000 DMV Drive

Richmond, VA 23220

877-664-2566

FAX: 804-367-9740

www.vwc.state.va.us

Washington

Department of Labor and Industries

P.O. Box 44000

Olympia, WA 98504

360-902-5800

TDD: 360-902-5797

FAX: 360-902-5798

www.lni.wa.gov/ClaimsIns/Claims/default.asp

West Virginia

Workers’ Compensation

P.O. Box 50540

Charleston, WV 25305

304-558-3386

888-879-9842

http://www.wvinsurance.gov/WorkersCompensation.aspx

Wisconsin

Workers’ Compensation Division

201 E. Washington Avenue

Room C100

Madison, WI 53703

608-266-1340

FAX: 608-267-0394

www.dwd.state.wi.us/wc

Wyoming

Workers’ Safety & Compensation Division

1510 E. Pershing Boulevard

Cheyenne, WY 82002

307-777-7441

FAX: 307-777-6552

http://doe.wyo.gov/Pages/default.aspx

by: Barbara Repa

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