The first 72 hours after a work injury set the trajectory of your entire workers’ comp claim. Skip a required step or sign the wrong form, and benefits you’re legally owed can evaporate. Here’s the playbook, in the order you should do each thing.
Step 1 — Report the injury, in writing, today
Every state requires you to notify your employer of a work injury within a deadline that ranges from 24 hours to 30 days depending on the state. Miss the deadline and the carrier can deny the claim outright.
Verbal notice to a supervisor is usually not enough, even if your handbook says it is. Send something in writing: an email, a text message, or — better — an official incident report. Keep a copy. Note the date and time. If your employer provides a state-specific form (in California, the DWC-1; in Florida, the FL-NOI), fill it out and have someone counter-sign.
State your description of the injury in plain terms: what happened, when, where, what body part is affected, and what you were doing. Don’t speculate about cause beyond what you actually know. Don’t admit fault.
Step 2 — Get medical care from the right provider
Where you go for that first medical visit determines what gets paid. The rules vary:
- If your employer uses a Medical Provider Network (MPN) — you generally must choose your first treating physician from their roster. See our MPN explainer to understand the rules.
- If your state lets you choose (employee-choice states like Florida, Texas, New York for most claims) — pick a doctor with WC experience. Workers’ comp medicine has paperwork and process rules that confuse general practitioners.
- In a medical emergency — every state lets you go to the nearest ER regardless of MPN rules. The carrier must pay for emergency care.
Tell the provider it’s a workers’ comp visit before the appointment starts. They’ll have different intake forms and bill the carrier (not you or your health insurance) directly. If the front desk asks for your insurance card, hand over the WC claim info instead.
Need help locating one? Our directory of verified WC providers is searchable by state, specialty, city, and MPN.
Step 3 — Document everything, starting now
Open a folder (paper or digital) labeled with the date of injury and the body part affected. Into it goes everydocument the claim generates:
- The incident report you submitted
- Your employer’s acknowledgement
- Insurance carrier’s claim number and adjuster contact
- Every medical bill, lab order, imaging report, and visit summary
- Every email or letter from the adjuster
- Pay stubs from before the injury (for wage calculations)
- A pain/symptom diary, dated daily
The pain diary is the most underused tool in WC. Adjusters will question whether your pain is real, whether it’s getting better or worse, and whether you can do specific work tasks. Daily entries with specifics — “couldn’t turn my head left more than 30 degrees,” “dropped my coffee mug because grip failed” — are stronger evidence than memory six months later.
Step 4 — Know your claim number and adjuster
Within a few business days of your report, the insurance carrier will assign your claim a number and a claims adjuster. Get both. They’re your reference for every future interaction: provider visits, pre-authorizations, time-off approvals.
Save the adjuster’s direct line and email. Adjusters are usually understaffed and slow to return calls — having both channels matters. Write every voicemail you leave: date, time, what you said. If a request goes unanswered, you have a paper trail.
Step 5 — Don’t sign anything unfamiliar
Within the first week, the carrier may send you forms to sign. Common traps:
- Medical authorizations. A broad release lets the carrier pull every medical record you’ve ever generated, even unrelated to the injury. Cross out the “all records” language and limit it to records related to the injury and the body part affected.
- Recorded statements. The adjuster may ask you to describe the injury “for the file.” What you say is admissible. You can decline; if you take it, stick to facts you’re 100% sure of. Don’t guess.
- Early settlement offers. If a check arrives with a release waiver in week one, the carrier is buying out your future benefits for pennies. Don’t cash, don’t sign, talk to a WC attorney first.
Step 6 — Track your time off and limitations
If the injury keeps you out of work, most states pay temporary total disability (TTD) benefits — usually two-thirds of your average weekly wage, tax-free. See our payment-amount guide for the calculation.
Keep records of every day you can’t work, every shift you had to leave early, every task at home you couldn’t do (mowing the lawn, lifting kids). These all matter at settlement.
If your doctor releases you to “light duty,” you’re expected to return to a modified job. If your employer doesn’t offer one, the carrier still owes you wages. Don’t accept “there’s no light duty available” verbally — get it in writing or report it to your adjuster.
Step 7 — Know when to call a lawyer
Not every claim needs an attorney. Straightforward injury, accepted by the employer, full medical authorization, smooth return to work — handle it yourself. Talk to a workers’ comp lawyer if any of these are true:
- Your claim was denied or your benefits were stopped
- Medical authorizations keep getting refused
- The carrier disputes your impairment rating
- You’re being pressured to settle early
- Your employer fired or demoted you after the injury
- A third party (not your employer) contributed to the injury
Initial consultations are free; most WC attorneys work on contingency and only collect if you recover.
The 72-hour checklist
If you do nothing else, do this:
- Report the injury in writing to your supervisor + HR
- Get medical care from the right provider for your state/MPN
- Start the documentation folder
- Get your claim number and adjuster contact
- Don’t sign broad medical authorizations or recorded statements without reading them
- Track every day of missed work
- If the claim is contested, call a WC attorney
What happens next
The carrier has a state-specific window — typically 14 to 30 days — to either accept or deny the claim. While that runs: keep going to medical appointments, keep documenting symptoms, keep tracking time off. If acceptance comes through, you’ll start getting weekly TTD checks and authorized treatment will flow.
If you get a denial letter, see our denial-appeal guide — most denials are overturned on appeal, but only if you act within the deadline (usually 30 days).
For broader context, our workers’ comp FAQ hub covers 24 plain-language questions across the full WC system.