Approved worker's compensation claims pay for the injured worker's medical bills, cover loss of income and in some states reimburse the injured person for travel and transportation pertaining to the treatment of the injury. Each state manages its own worker's compensation plan and outlines its own process for filing a claim. However, because each claim is a legal case it receives a claim number that is used to track the claim throughout the time the case is open. Claim numbers are used on all correspondence pertaining to the injury claim.
Make sure there is a filed claim with the Worker's Compensation Board in your state. A claim must be made before a comp claim number can be assigned.
Contact the agency where the claim was filed and ask what the claim number is. You will probably be asked for personal information such as a Social Security number and date of birth along with the approximate date of the claim being filed in order to receive the claim number.
Read all previous correspondence that pertains to the worker's compensation claim. Each page generated due to a claim will contain the worker's compensation claim number somewhere on the page. This includes medical documents and correspondence created during the course of the open claim.
Contact someone involved with the claim. The doctor's office, hospital or a lawyer involved in the claim should have the comp claim number on the records they hold. Each business may have requirements about releasing personal information. Visit in person or call ahead to find out what documents you might need to provide to obtain the number.
Tip
Knowing your state's process may help pinpoint how to find the claim number. Some states assign claim numbers through the worker's compensation insurance board, while others may assign the number when the claim is made through a workers compensation office. Still others may assign the claim number at the time of the initial hospital visit.
