Minnesota workers' comp glossary
Discontinuance
The termination or reduction of ongoing Minnesota wage-loss benefits, which generally requires the insurer to file a NOID and survive any timely-requested .239 conference.
Discontinuance is the formal end (or reduction) of wage-loss benefits the insurer has been paying. Minnesota law does not let an insurer just stop: on an admitted claim, Minn. Stat. § 176.238 requires a served Notice of Intention to Discontinue (NOID) stating the date, the reason, and the supporting documents.
Some grounds take effect immediately, such as when you actually returned to work at full wage. Contested grounds, like an IME opinion that you can work without restrictions, are the ones the objection process exists for: request the expedited conference under Minn. Stat. § 176.239 promptly and benefits can continue until a decision issues.
If the conference goes against you (or the window was missed), the dispute is not over (an Objection to Discontinuance moves it toward a formal hearing), but you fight without checks in the meantime. The single most important thing to know about discontinuance is therefore boring: read the NOID the day it arrives and count the days.
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General information, not legal advice. Reviewed by Daniel C. Swenson, Minnesota workers' compensation attorney, Robert Wilson & Associates.