How the Arizona system works
Nearly all Arizona employers must carry coverage, overseen by the Industrial Commission of Arizona (ICA). A claim usually starts when you report the injury and a doctor files a Worker's and Physician's Report of Injury — but the safe path is filing your own worker's report with the ICA. From there, the insurer speaks in Notices of Claim Status: accepting, denying, closing, or changing your benefits. Each notice is a decision that hardens into law if unprotested.
Every deadline that matters
| What | Deadline | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Report to your employer | Immediately ("forthwith") | No fixed grace period to rely on — same-day written notice is the only safe reading. |
| File your claim with the ICA | 1 year from the injury (or from when you knew it was work-related) | One of America's shorter filing windows — and a doctor's report alone isn't always enough. File your own. |
| Protest a Notice of Claim Status | 90 days from the notice | Arizona's signature rule — request a hearing in writing within 90 days or the notice becomes final. Details below. |
The 90-day protest windows
Denied claim? 90 days to request a hearing. Benefits terminated? 90 days. Claim closed with a rating you disagree with? 90 days. The request is a simple written Request for Hearing filed with the ICA — no lawyer required to file it — but the deadline is jurisdictional: with narrow exceptions, a missed window can't be reopened by argument, sympathy, or even obvious insurer error. The discipline that wins Arizona claims: read every notice the day it arrives, calendar 90 days, and protest anything you're not sure about. You can always withdraw a protest; you can almost never revive a dead one.
Doctor choice
In most Arizona claims you may choose your own treating doctor once care is underway — a genuine advantage — though self-insured employers (many large companies) can direct treatment to their chosen providers. Insurers can also schedule independent medical examinations. Wherever you treat, the usual rules apply: describe the work cause precisely on day one, and keep every visit connected to the claim.
The benefits
| Benefit | What it pays |
|---|---|
| Medical care | All reasonable and necessary treatment for the accepted injury. |
| Temporary compensation | Two-thirds of your average monthly wage (within state caps) while totally disabled; partial payments when earning less on light duty. |
| Permanent impairment | Scheduled awards for listed body parts; unscheduled injuries pay based on lost earning capacity — a fight worth having with evidence. |
| Supportive care / death benefits | Ongoing maintenance care can be awarded after closure; survivor and burial benefits. |
Arizona lets you petition to reopen a closed claim if your condition genuinely worsens with new, active medical findings. It's real, and workers use it — but reopening requires fresh medical evidence and starts from whatever the closure notice locked in. Protesting the wrong closure now beats trying to reopen it later.
How Arizona disputes get resolved
- 1
Request for Hearing
Your written protest, filed with the ICA within 90 days of the disputed notice.
- 2
ALJ hearing
An evidentiary hearing before an ICA administrative law judge — testimony, medical evidence, a written award.
- 3
Review and appeals
Request for review by the judge, then the Court of Appeals. Settlements require ICA approval.
Free official help
- Industrial Commission of Arizona — claims division, forms, and hearing requests: azica.gov (602-542-4661).
- ICA Ombudsman — free help for unrepresented workers understanding notices and the hearing process.
Any denied or closed claim inside its 90-day window, lost-earning-capacity disputes, self-insured employers directing care, reopening petitions, and all settlements. Fees are contingency percentages subject to ICA oversight; consultations typically free.