What Information Should I Gather First Before Filing My Claim?

The Industrial Commission of Arizona (ICA) recently upgraded the website for the workers’ compensation claims filing system, now called the ICA Community. You can find more information here on the community link where any updates are frequently posted for members. Information about the new ICA forms can be found here.

You can also access a page with all the forms here so you can download them and review them to know what to expect. The claim can be filed/filled out online in the community link, or manually filled out and sent by regular mail, although certifying or registering your letter will ensure you know when it is delivered.

What You Should Know About Filing Your Claim

When your claim is submitted, any person/entity connected with your case will be able to request a copy of your claim as part of the review. This means your employer, the insuring company for your employer, and the state of Arizona through ICA. You can find a sample copy of the form for the worker’s injury report here. Download and review it now as you read this post.

• Filing the Claim Correctly

You want to get your filed information right the first time, so it is important you have all your information gathered on your desk before filling out the form. Be sure to get the information from your employer for the employer’s policy number. List any other times that you have had an accident and previously had workers’ compensation, even if years ago.

Do not lie about any past occurrences as the digital age means that most of your previous information has now been recorded into online databases. It is easy enough to check your records and see if you ever had a previous accident.

• Your Statement about the Accident

Before filling out anything, write down what you remember about your accident, noting if a machine you were on malfunctioned, or if the accident was caused by another person. Be as clear and precise as possible in detailing the events of your accidents. If you were unconscious or unaware of much happening around you after the accident, state that.

Do not embellish or falsify any information. Unknown to you, perhaps, there may be CCTV cameras at your workplace that recorded the accident. Your employer and employer’s insurance company already have that evidence. If you lie, you could be caught, and your claim denied. You can request a copy of the recording, using a specific date and period, or have a lawyer do it for you.

• List of Witnesses

The form asks for one witness who saw your accident and what happened to you. While you may not have an opportunity to file other names of witnesses, collect those names anyway and talk with them about what they saw. Ask if you can get a statement for your records.

Never ask them to change their story to benefit your case (tampering with evidence), although you can question them to get a more precise answer if something is unclear. You may have several witnesses to talk with and also find that some thought they saw something different from another witness.

• Where You Were Treated

Collect all the information about who took you to the hospital, what time you entered, when you were discharged, and who the medical staff was that supervised your treatment. Once you have all this information, you will be ready to file the claim.

Need Help?

Decide first if you should hire a workers’ compensation attorney. If there are several different witness statements, with one or two that are problematic to your case, you may decide that getting legal help with filing the claim is a better option.

Call us at once if you need help with filing your claim correctly. 602-346-9009.