Organize the record
Workers' Comp Claim-File Starter
Use this tool now
Create one claim folder with separate sections for reporting, medical care, work status, wages, notices, expenses, and messages. Keep originals unchanged and add dated copies as the claim develops.
How to use it
- 1.Create the folders before documents begin to pile up.
- 2.Name each saved file with its document date.
- 3.Keep a backup outside any employer-controlled account.
Checklist
Workers' Comp Claim-File Starter
Start an injury-report section
Save the incident report, DWC-1 copies, delivery proof, photos, and witness details.
Start a medical section
Save visit summaries, reports, referrals, prescriptions, tests, and requests for authorization.
Start a work-status section
Keep every off-work note, restriction, and modified-duty offer in date order.
Start a wage section
Keep pay stubs, schedules, timecards, missed-time records, and benefit notices.
Start a claim-notice section
Keep status, delay, acceptance, denial, utilization review (UR), independent medical review (IMR), qualified or agreed medical evaluator (QME/AME), and Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB) papers.
Start an expense section
Keep medical travel, parking, toll, pharmacy, equipment, and submission records.
Start a messages section
Preserve emails, letters, portal exports, texts, and a dated call log.
Create a one-page index
List each section and the newest important document.
Avoid
- — Do not alter, backdate, or overwrite an earlier record.
- — Do not keep the only copy in a work account.
Keep with this tool
- — DWC-1 trail
- — Medical reports
- — Work-status slips
- — Wage records
- — Claim notices
- — Expense proof
- — Messages and call log
- — Document index
Common questions
Do I need a special app?
No. Paper folders or ordinary digital folders can work if they are dated, backed up, and easy to search.
Should I save duplicate notices?
Keep each version when the date, balance, explanation, or recipient changes. Do not overwrite the earlier copy.
What information should I avoid sending insecurely?
Do not send Social Security numbers, banking credentials, full medical files, or identity documents to an unverified recipient.
Read the deeper explanation
Workers' Comp Documentation in California: What Injured Workers Should Save After a Job InjuryAuthoritative sources
Check the linked official source for current forms and rules. Updated: .
WCLG
Need help with the actual claim?
Every claim depends on its documents, medical evidence, and procedural history. WCLG offers a free consultation without promising a result.