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Colorado Workers’ Compensation Guides

How to File a Workers’ Comp Claim in Colorado

Filing a workers’ compensation claim in Colorado is a coordinated effort. You, your employer, and the Division of Workers’ Compensation each have statutory duties. Missing one of the early deadlines can shrink or delay benefits.[3][2]

1. Get care and document the incident

In an emergency, go to the closest hospital or urgent care immediately. Colorado law never forces you to delay treatment while you track down a comp doctor.[9]

For non-emergency visits, your employer must hand you a written “designated provider” list within seven business days of your report. The list typically includes at least four physicians or clinics so you can choose the authorized treating physician (ATP) who will direct your care.[9][12] If that list never arrives or it arrives late, you may select any qualified provider and keep the bills within the workers’ compensation system.[12]

2. Notify your employer in writing within 10 business days

Colorado now gives injured employees 10 working days to submit written notice of a workplace injury or occupational disease. That is an increase from the previous four-day rule.[3][14] Even if you miss the window, report the injury as soon as possible. Good cause or an employer’s actual knowledge can prevent penalties.[2]

Your notice should describe what happened, who saw it, where the injury occurred, and the symptoms you are experiencing. Ask your supervisor for a copy of the timestamped notice: Colorado law requires the employer to provide it within seven days of receipt.[2]

Failing to report can cost you up to one day of wage benefits for every day the notice is late, so put the report in writing even if you already told a manager or HR verbally.[2]

3. Track your employer’s reporting duties

After receiving your notice, the employer has 10 days to report the injury to its carrier. The carrier then files a First Report of Injury (FROI) with the Division of Workers’ Compensation.[8][3] When the FROI hits the Division’s system, the carrier has 20 days to make its first decision: admit the claim and start benefits, or issue a Notice of Contest while it investigates.[8]

Fatalities must be reported immediately, and serious incidents that later become fatal require a second report reflecting the date of death.[8]

Make sure the Division and the adjuster can reach you. Update your mailing address, phone number, and email with the Division’s customer service team any time they change.[7]

4. File your Worker’s Claim with the Division

Filing a Worker’s Claim for Compensation (WC 15) protects your rights, especially if the carrier denies liability or disputes benefits.[1] Complete the form in English, make two copies, and mail or deliver them to the Division of Workers’ Compensation, Customer Service Unit, 707 17th Street, Suite 2300, Denver, CO 80202-3404. You can also submit it electronically via the Division’s designated email inbox.[1][7]

The Division assigns a Workers’ Compensation claim number (WC#) after it receives either the FROI or your WC 15. Include that number on every form, email, or medical bill you send to the carrier or the Division.[8]

5. Know what benefits are in play

Need a refresher on what each benefit category covers? Read our Colorado workers’ comp benefits guide before you push a claim to the next stage.

The carrier’s first filing is either a General Admission of Liability or a Notice of Contest. If it admits the claim, temporary disability benefits must start immediately.[2][8] If it contests the claim, you can request an expedited hearing within 45 days of the denial to keep the case moving.[2]

Temporary total disability (TTD) pays two-thirds of your average weekly wage, capped by the statewide maximum, after a three-shift waiting period. Miss 14 days or more and you are reimbursed for that waiting period.[6][13] If drugs, alcohol, or serious safety violations caused the injury, the carrier can cut non-medical benefits in half.[6]

Keep ride logs. You have 120 days to request mileage or parking reimbursement tied to medical care, and the carrier must pay or issue a written denial within 30 days.[6][11]

When your doctor declares you at maximum medical improvement (MMI), the carrier can file a Final Admission of Liability. You have 30 days from the mailing date to object, request a hearing, or start the Division Independent Medical Examination (DIME) process if you disagree with any part of that admission.[10] Brush up on the post-MMI roadmap with our dedicated guide so deadlines don’t slip.

6. Keep the key forms straight

  • WC 1 – Employer’s First Report of Injury. Used by employers and carriers to open the claim with the Division.[4]
  • WC 15 – Worker’s Claim for Compensation. Filed by injured workers to preserve claim rights.[1][4]
  • WC 12 – Supplemental Report of Return to Work. Tracks wage changes so temporary disability benefits stay accurate.[4]
  • WC 4 – Final Admission of Liability (includes WC 77 for DIME). Filed by carriers once you reach MMI, triggering the 30-day objection deadline.[4][10]
  • WC 204 – CUE Fund Renewal. Annual filing required to keep Colorado Uninsured Employer Fund benefits flowing.[15]

7. Resolve disputes before claims close

If you disagree with a denial, the weekly benefit rate, medical coverage, or a Final Admission, you can move the case to a prehearing conference or a formal hearing with the Office of Administrative Courts. Prehearing conferences help narrow issues, while settlement conferences can resolve the entire case by agreement.[5]

Most issues must be raised within the 30-day objection window on a Final Admission. After that, the claim closes on the admitted issues unless you reopen based on fraud, error, or a change in condition.[10][5]

8. If your employer was uninsured

Colorado’s Uninsured Employer (CUE) Fund steps in only after you secure an order awarding workers’ compensation benefits against an employer that should have carried insurance.[15]

The roadmap: file a WC 15, litigate through a hearing, then submit the CUE application with your WC#, judge’s order, and supporting documents. Approved claimants must renew annually by April 1 to keep payments coming.[1][15]

Colorado workers’ comp timeline snapshot

  • Within 10 business days: deliver written notice of injury or occupational disease to your employer.[3]
  • Within 7 business days of your notice: employer provides a designated provider list.[9][12]
  • Within 10 days of your notice: employer/carrier files the FROI with the Division.[8]
  • Within 20 days of the FROI: carrier issues a General Admission or Notice of Contest.[8]
  • 120 days from each trip: submit mileage and parking reimbursement requests.[11]
  • 30 days from a Final Admission: object, request a DIME, or request a hearing to keep disputed issues open.[10]

Bottom line

Staying ahead of Colorado’s workers’ compensation deadlines takes organization, but each task secures another layer of protection: medical care, wage replacement, or the right to contest a decision. Use the Division’s forms, keep your contact details current, and escalate disagreements quickly so the claim doesn’t close before you are ready.[1][2][6] When you need to coordinate comp benefits with a potential third-party case, jump into the Colorado workers’ comp hub for lien strategy and calculator prompts.

References

  1. Colorado Division of Workers’ Compensation, “File a Workers’ Compensation Claim.”
  2. Colo. Rev. Stat. tit. 8, art. 43 (2024) (notice, admissions, and claim procedures).
  3. Colorado Division of Workers’ Compensation, “Reporting Your Injury.”
  4. Colorado Division of Workers’ Compensation, “Workers’ Compensation Forms Library.”
  5. Colorado Division of Workers’ Compensation, “Resolve or Reopen Your Claim.”
  6. Colorado Division of Workers’ Compensation, “Understand Potential Benefits.”
  7. Colorado Division of Workers’ Compensation, “Contact Customer Service.”
  8. Colorado Division of Workers’ Compensation, “Online Filing of First Reports (FROI/SROI).”
  9. Colorado Division of Workers’ Compensation, “Get Medical Care.”
  10. Colo. Rev. Stat. § 8-43-203(1)(b)(II) (2024) (final admission and 30-day objection window).
  11. Colo. Rev. Stat. § 8-42-101(7) (2024) (mileage reimbursement timelines).
  12. Colo. Rev. Stat. § 8-43-404(5) (2024) (designated provider list requirements).
  13. Colo. Rev. Stat. § 8-42-105 (2024) (temporary disability benefits and waiting period).
  14. H.B. 22-1112, 73d Gen. Assemb., 2d Reg. Sess. (Colo. 2022) (extending the employee notice period to 10 business days).
  15. Colorado Division of Workers’ Compensation, “Colorado Uninsured Employer (CUE) Fund.”