BENEFIT NOTICE SIMPLIFICATION

When an employee files a claim for workers' compensation, the employer or insurer is responsible for communicating the status of the claim to the employee by means of a series of benefit notices. The benefit notice system, which is administered by the DWC, has undergone several changes over the past decade.

The benefit notice system has been cited as confusing and ineffective by the workers' compensation community.

This project will:

• identify benefit notice problems that contribute to problems with claims,
• develop criteria to improve benefit notices,
• identify requirements that cause the greatest problems with benefit notices, and
• identify steps to examine and address these requirements

The benefit notice project is expected to start in October 1998.