How and When to Reopen your Claim

A L&I claim may be reopened within 7 years from the date the first closing order becomes final, for full benefits. That means, time loss, medical benefits, vocational services, disability awards, all benefits that are available under the law. If it has been more than 7 years since the claim was first closed, the claim may be reopened for medical benefits only. The Director of the Department has discretion to provide full benefits in certain circumstances in these ‘over 7’ reopenings.

 

Keep in mind, the time limit is 7 years from first claim closure, not the date of injury, not the date you returned to work, not the date the final installment of  any PPD was paid.  If a closing order was protested or appealed, and ultimately set aside, that is NOT the first claim closure. You are looking for the first final claim closing order. That is the start of the 7 year clock.

 

In a nutshell, a claim will be reopened only where there is medical evidence, based on objective medical findings, that the industrially related condition has worsened, or become aggravated, since the claim was closed.  Your own subjective descriptions of increased pain, loss of function, or inability to work are not enough. A claim can not be reopened solely for vocational services. The Department is looking for increases in objectively measurable findings. Worsening in measures of atrophy, nerve damage, degenerative changes, muscle wasting, range of motion, sensation. Worsening which is evident on MRI, CT scan, EMG. I tell clients, we are looking for concrete, objectively measurable changes in their work related condition.

 

Reopening requests, or aggravation applications as they are sometimes called, should be forwarded directly to the Department, even if your employer was self-insured. There is an actual form, which you can get here:

http://www.lni.wa.gov/FormPub/Detail.asp?DocID=1591

However, an informal written requests, with or without supporting medical information, will start the ball rolling. If there is such an informal request, the Department will forward you the reopening application to complete.  There is a portion of the form for you and a section for your medical provider to complete.

 

You can go to any medical provider to complete a reopening application. If you had a good relationship with the physician who treated you while your claim was open, that is a great place to start. Your primary care provider is ok, an appropriate specialist may be even better. If you have a copy of the closing medical report, take it with you. This will help the physician in comparing your current findings on exam to those at the time your claim was closed.  The medical provider will be paid by the Department for performing the exam and completing the paperwork, whether the claim is ultimately reopened or not. If the physician recommends a diagnostic study to complete the exam, the request should be forwarded to the Department along with the reopening application. The Department will approve many diagnostic procedures in order to gather all the medical information necessary to review the reopening application. Again, if the Department authorizes such a study, they will pay for it. The Department will likely schedule you for a medical exam, called an Independent Medical Exam, or IME. (We can discuss some other time whether there is anything ‘independent’ about these exams)

 

When in this process should you talk to an attorney? There is no hard and fast rule, although I tend to be in the ‘earlier is better’ camp.  The Department will issue an Order either reopening the claim or denying the application. You can protest or appeal a denial, and an attorney will most definitely be helpful, if not indispensable. However, earlier involvement has its up side. An attorney with a good relationship with the Department can nudge a claims manager in the right direction, help make sure all necessary diagnostic studies have been done (on the Department’s nickel), help the attending physician articulate the objective findings which have worsened or respond coherently to an IME report. It is, of course, quicker and less expensive if your claim can be reopened without having to litigate the matter. Getting an attorney involved early in the process will only serve to make sure all possible avenues are being examined before the Order is issued.