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.

Next steps