Time Frames in Arizona Workers Comp Cases
Shortly after 9/11, I read a book by New York mayor Rudolph
Guliani about his leadership style. One
of the most important things I learned from the book was the concept of
“under-promise and over-deliver”. I have
tried, to some varying degrees of success, to incorporate that into how we
practice at Snow, Carpio, & Weekley.
To that end, I want to write a brief post about time frames in Arizona
Workers Compensation Claims.
I often tell my clients that the word “days” does not exist
in the vocabulary of most claim reps, judges, and Industrial Commission
employees who are working on their claims.
As workers comp attorneys, we measure time in weeks and months! For example, while the statute says that a
carrier has 21 days to accept or deny a claim, the reality is that an injured
worker will wait 4-8 WEEKS to see any compensation for time lost. In the event of a dispute, a hearing is
usually scheduled to take place 3 MONTHS after it is requested. While the statute says that a decision should
be rendered within 30 days of the final hearing, my experience is that a
decision can usually be expected 2-3 MONTHS later. In short, the best advice I can sometimes
give my clients is “hurry up and wait”…
