The law allows for reopening your claim within 7 years of your claim’s first closure. You may be able to obtain additional benefits such as time loss, vocational retraining, Permanent Partial Disability (PPD), and Permanent Total Disability (PTD or pension) even if your claim closed more than 7 years ago. The reopening of your claim is the same process no matter whether your claim was handled by a Self-Insured Employer third party administrator (Insurance Company) or the Department of Labor and Industries.
If your injury or occupational disease has worsened, you and your doctor may apply to reopen you claim. You must have objective medical evidence, verified by your doctor, that after your claim was closed, the condition caused by the original workplace injury has worsened and needs more medical attention.
How long you have to apply after your claim has closed depends on what benefits you seek:
- For medical treatment only, you may apply at any time.
- For both wage replacement benefits and other benefits and medical treatment, you must apply within 7 years of the date your claim was first closed (10 years for eye injuries).