Last week I published three blog posts in a series that I am composing this month on workers’ compensation in the state of Oregon. Those posts concerned:
- How to file an Oregon workers’ compensation claim.
- Obtaining medical treatment in your Oregon workers’ compensation claim.
- Recovering lost wages in your Oregon workers’ compensation claim.
In this blog I will clarify a term that clients ask me about all the time, and I will explain what it means when your claim is accepted or denied.
Clients who have sustained work-related injuries or been hurt in workplace accidents frequently ask me to explain what an “interim period” is. The interim period is a term that insurance companies give to the period of time in between when your employer learns that you have filed a claim and when the insurance company determines whether or not it will accept or deny your claim. During the interim period, the insurer will only pay for limited medical treatment.
The insurer must either accept or deny your claim within 60 days of the day on which your employer learns of your claim. If your claim is accepted, then the insurer will send you a Notice of Acceptance that itemizes your medical conditions that have been accepted for benefits. If your claim is denied, then the insurer will send you a letter explaining its reasons for denying your claim. It will notify you of the appeal process if you believe that the insurance company made its decision in error.
Check this blog again soon for the next installment in our Oregon workers’ compensation series. I will be writing more about medical treatment in your workers’ compensation claim.