What Is a Claim Petition in Minnesota Workers' Comp?
A Claim Petition is how a denied or unpaid Minnesota work-comp claim becomes a case at the Office of Administrative Hearings. What it asks for, what to attach, and what happens next.
A Claim Petition is how a Minnesota workers' compensation fight becomes a contested case at the Office of Administrative Hearings. When the insurer denies that the injury is work-related, or never starts a benefit you claim, the petition is filed under Minn. Stat. § 176.271 and § 176.291.
It is not the same paper as a NOID. A NOID stops checks on a claim the insurer already accepted. A Claim Petition is for the claim that was denied or never paid.
What the petition has to say
The form names the employer, the insurer, the date of injury, and how you were hurt. It also lists every benefit you want the judge to decide:
- wage loss (TTD or TPD),
- medical treatment and mileage,
- permanency (PPD),
- rehabilitation,
- penalties or interest, if those are in play.
A medical report that ties the condition to work should go with it. A petition with no medical support is how cases stall.
What happens after it is filed
The insurer answers. The file is assigned to a compensation judge. Most cases then move through discovery, a settlement conference, and often mediation before anyone tries the claim. Intervenors (health plans, hospitals) can join if they paid bills.
Deadlines still matter. The deadline calculator will count notice and filing dates. Reporting the injury to the employer is a different clock: 180 days under § 176.141.
When you do not need one yet
If the claim is admitted and the fight is a discontinuance, start with the NOID and the short .239 window. Filing a petition on the wrong problem wastes weeks.
If the claim is denied, read denied workers' comp claim in Minnesota and decide whether you are ready to put every benefit in writing. Do I need a lawyer covers that fork.
Think this might be your situation?
A short call can tell you whether the pattern here matches your claim and what the next step would be. If there's no claim, you'll hear that too.
You will reach Dan Swenson, a Minnesota work comp attorney at Robert Wilson & Associatesand the person who built this site. The call is free. The tools stay free either way.
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