Before your claim is filed you should: get medical help, and tell your employer.
If you work for a self-insured employer, you must file your claim with them. Contact your employer's personnel department for help.
Gather the following information before you start your claim:
- Location where the injury occurred
- Contact information for any witnesses to the injury
- Employer information
- Wage information
- Names and birth dates of your dependents
- If you have already seen a doctor:
- Your doctor's first and last name
- Hospital or clinic where you received treatment
L&I strives to make filing a claim as easy as possible, and you have options:
- Online via our FileFast tool
- By phone: 1-877-561-FILE (3453)
- At your doctor’s office (if you complete the Report of Accident at your doctor's office, the doctor files the form for you)
Your doctor has 5 days to send the report to L&I or your self-insured employer. Processing time will vary, depending on the type of claim. If you are eligible for wage-replacement benefits, and no further information is needed, L&I or your self-insured employer sends the first benefit check within 14 days of receiving the report.
L&I or your self-insured employer must receive your Report of Accident within 1 year of your injury date to file a claim. We must receive it within two years from the date of your doctor's diagnosis for occupational disease claims.
