INDUSTRIAL CLAIM
States other than
WASHINGTON STATE



HOW TO START A CLAIM IN THE OTHER 49 STATES




Congratulations!

You have come to the right place to begin processing an injury loss claim or an industrial claim.

Most workers and retired people do not realize such benefits exist! If you have loss of hearing as a result of your work environment, huge payoffs from your respective state are waiting!

If you are working or retired outside of Washington State we are not able to help with your hearing test and paperwork.

However we will gladly provide you with a detailed outline of how to go about processing your new industrial claim. In most cases, you do not need costly attorney's to represent you. Just follow the steps we will give you, and your claim will be processed.

Disclaimer

The following information has variables in any given state, but may be generally used in your steps for filing a hearing loss claim. Federal Certified Hearing Center Inc. makes no guarantees about the accuracy of this information, which is subject to change.

Beginning A Hearing Loss Claim
in Your State

Contact the appropiate agency

Take these steps:

1. Contact the appropiate agency in your state, or, if your employer is self-insured, contact your employer's insurance carrier. Some names used by the various states include Department of Labour and Industries, Workers' Compensation, State Comensation, Industrial Commission, and so on. Please see USA Contact Information by State.

2. Ask about State Industrial Insurance or Workers Compesation, and request that an "Injury Loss Claim Form" be sent to you.

3. Upon receipt of the claim form, fill it out. In the box that asks for the injury to your body, write "progressive hearing loss". In the box for explanation write "have worked many years around excessive noises, such as (Examples Only) : power saws, brush cutters, CAT, excavators, generators, compressors, etc." List the job noises that were part of your employment enviroment. Leave the physicians form blank.

If your state requires a physician sign the form

Many states require that a physician sign the form

1. Take the form to your family doctor. Tell the doctor that you are starting a hearing loss claim, because of all the noise that you were subjected to on the job. Ask your doctor to please sign the claim form.

2 The physician normally fills out the required portion and mails it to Labor and Industries (or self-insured carrier) for you. If your doctor happens to sign the claim form and returns it to you, the mailing address for you State Industrial Insurance is on the form. Mail it to them or to your self-insured carrier.

IMPORTANT: This form must be signed by your physician and mailed to the Department of Labor and Industries (or self-insured carrier).Until the state (or self-insured carrier) receives this form, you do not have a claim.

Start your own file

Take these steps:

1. Keep a copy of everything before you return things to the state. Papers do get lost or misplaced in route.

2. If a step needs to be repeated, get the papers from your copy file.

When you receive notice that you have a claim started

At this point, things start happening automatically.

1. Your notification will include information, such as name and phone number, of your case manager or claims representative. File your notice, and respond to any requests for information.

2. IMPORTANT: You must respond to all requests by the insurance company. If you are not sure how to repond to a certain letter or form call and ask your case manager or claim representative. If you will be out of town or on vacation for any length of time, you must at least correspond to rwuests via telephone.

Complete and mail the insurance packet

Usually, a packet is sent to each claimant requesting more information about the condition of your hearing loss. This may also be done with a recorded telephone call made by a claim representative. Take these steps:

1. Carefully complete the request for a work history. This is often the most difficult part of the claim proscess, that is trying to remember the places that you have worked.

2. Work history is gathered for the purpose of "zeroing" in on when/where you lost your hearing.

Did you lose your hearing on the job?
Or did you lose it participation in one of you own hobbies?
Did you lose your hearing on the job?
Or did you lost it by being exposed to loud noises in the armed forces?

All of these questions are designed to discover what might be responsible for you hearing loss. If it is for any other reason besides your work enviroment, then the State Insurance (self-insurance) will not cover it.

Hearing Test

You may be asked to see a state doctor (physician of the self-insured carrier's choice).

Take the steps:

1. Visit the doctor, who will test your hearing and interview you. Basically, all information that you submitted in your information paket will be reviewed. Since, this person works for the state (or self-insured company), they are trying to discover the where/when/how of your hearing loss.

2. HINT: During the interview, answer all questions honestly. Do not lie. BUT don't volunteer information about every loud noise you've heard, say in the military or on the 4th of July. Given ample reasons, the doctor may blame the hearing loss on something other than you noisy job.

Respond to requests for information from the state

Now, you sit and wait for a letter from the State Industrial Insurance (self-insured carrier), which says that you have been approved, and/or medically approved, or allowed for medical benefits and compensation. Any wording like this, means that you are accepted int the benefits program. You can now go get your hearing aids. You will soon receive your compensation, generally within 60 days.

Take the steps:

1. In the case fo the state, most often you may go to the Hearing Aid Company of choice. Sometimes, self-insured companies have a preferred list of Hearing Aid Vendors with whom they work.

2. When you go to a company to receive your new hearing aids, they should be able to bill the state direct without you having to put any money down.

We have great hopes that you do very well in the process of your claim. The whole process can take anywhere from 3 months - 1 year.
NOTE: Each state has its own regulations about any "statute of limitations," concerning retirement. Check with you State Industrial Insurance to see if there is a required limitation on retirees (how long a person can be retired and still receive benefits.
REMEMBER: In most states, you do not pay for the hearing aids out of your settlement money. Your settlement is in addition to hearing aids.

Ombudsman Programs

Some states provide Ombudsman Programs to assist workers with injury benfit claims.Ombudsmen are not attorneys, but they can help mediate claims between workers, stated, and insurance carriers. If your state offers an Ombudsman Program, it may benefit you to use that service.