In Arizona, you start a workers' comp claim by filing it with the Industrial Commission of Arizona (ICA), not just by telling your employer. The ICA notifies your employer's insurance carrier, which generally has 21 days to accept or deny the claim in a written Notice of Claim Status. If you disagree with that notice, you have 90 days to request a hearing before an ICA administrative law judge. After that come a 30-day request for review and, if needed, a special action in the Arizona Court of Appeals.
The ICA doesn't pay benefits itself. It processes claims, holds hearings, and oversees the insurance companies that do pay. Knowing where it fits, and which deadlines it enforces, is most of what it takes to protect an Arizona claim. Here's how the process works from injury to appeal.
What Is the Industrial Commission of Arizona?
It's the state agency that runs Arizona's workers' compensation system. According to the ICA's injured worker handbook, the Commission notifies carriers of injury reports, holds hearings to resolve disputes between injured workers and carriers, and monitors how carriers process claims. Its Special Fund Division also provides benefits to workers injured by employers who didn't carry required insurance.
The insurance company, or a large employer that insures itself, decides whether to accept your claim and pays the benefits. The ICA is where you go when you disagree. Nevada has no comparable commission with its own judges, which is why Arizona claims follow a different path. For the Nevada side, see how a Compromise and Release works in Nevada workers' comp.
How Do You File a Workers' Comp Claim in Arizona?
In three steps, and the second is the one people miss.
1. Tell your employer right away. Your employer must then report the injury to its carrier and the ICA within 10 days. 2. File your own claim with the ICA. Under A.R.S. § 23-1061, a claim isn't valid unless it's filed with the Commission in writing within one year after the injury, or after the injury becomes manifest or you should have known it was work-related. The ICA's guide to its forms notes that the employer's report doesn't count as your claim. You file using the Worker's and Physician's Report of Injury, usually completed with your doctor, or the Worker's Report of Injury. 3. Get treatment and keep records. Medical, surgical, and hospital benefits are available promptly once your employer has notice.
A 2022 amendment added a safety net: if a carrier gets written notice that you intend to file, it must forward that notice to the ICA within seven business days and tell you that you still need to file with the Commission, according to the 2022 law's text.
What Happens After You File?
The ICA notifies the carrier, and the carrier issues a Notice of Claim Status accepting or denying the claim. It generally has 21 days after the ICA's notice to do that. Under the 2022 amendment, if the carrier doesn't issue a timely denial, it must start paying compensation as if the claim were accepted until it does.
When do benefit checks start?
Arizona has a waiting period. No wage-loss compensation is paid for the first seven days after the injury. If the disability lasts beyond seven days, payment starts on day eight, and if it lasts a week beyond that, you're paid back to the date of injury. In Bell v. Industrial Commission (2015), the Arizona Supreme Court held that the waiting period requires seven consecutive days of some type of work-related disability.
How much does Arizona workers' comp pay?
Temporary total disability pays 66⅔% of your average monthly wage, plus $25 a month if you have dependents, according to a 2025 Arizona Senate fact sheet on A.R.S. § 23-1045. The wage used is capped. The ICA's statutory maximum page lists $6,131.00 for injuries in 2026 and $6,333.32 for injuries in 2027. At the 2026 cap, the maximum temporary total disability benefit is about $4,087 a month.
What Are the Deadlines in an Arizona Workers' Comp Claim?
| Step | Deadline | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Employer reports injury to carrier and ICA | Within 10 days of learning about it | A.R.S. § 23-1061(E) |
| You file your claim with the ICA | Within 1 year of injury or when it becomes manifest | A.R.S. § 23-1061(A) |
| Carrier forwards your written intent to file | Within 7 business days | 2022 amendment |
| Carrier accepts or denies | Generally 21 days after ICA notice | A.R.S. § 23-1061 |
| Wage-loss benefits begin | Day 8 of disability (retroactive if it lasts past 14 days) | A.R.S. § 23-1062 |
| You request a hearing | Within 90 days of the Notice of Claim Status | A.R.S. § 23-947 |
| Request for review of the ALJ's award | Within 30 days after the award is mailed | Court of Appeals guidance |
| Special action to the Court of Appeals | Within 30 days after the Decision Upon Review is mailed | Court of Appeals guidance |
| Petition to the Arizona Supreme Court | Within 30 days of the Court of Appeals decision | Court of Appeals guidance |
How Do You Challenge a Denial?
By requesting a hearing. Under A.R.S. § 23-947, a hearing request must be filed within 90 days after the notice you're challenging, and "filed" means the ICA actually has it, not that you mailed it. The ICA's Request for Hearing form asks which Notice of Claim Status or award you're contesting and why.
Missing the 90 days generally makes the carrier's decision final. The statute excuses late filing only in narrow situations, such as justifiable reliance on a misrepresentation or proof by clear and convincing evidence that the notice never arrived. This applies to more than denials: it covers notices that close your claim, set your average monthly wage, or cut benefits.
What happens at an ICA hearing?
An ICA administrative law judge takes evidence, hears from you, your doctors, and other witnesses, and issues a written decision called an award. The Arizona Court of Appeals explains that an award is any formal written document from the judge deciding your right to benefits, even if it denies them.
How do you appeal an ALJ's decision?
Two more steps, each with a 30-day clock that starts when the decision is mailed, not when you receive it:
- Request for Review. Filed with the same judge within 30 days after the award is mailed. The judge then issues a Decision Upon Review that can affirm, reverse, or modify the award.
- Special action. Filed with the Arizona Court of Appeals within 30 days after the Decision Upon Review is mailed. The court reviews the record from the hearing rather than taking new evidence.
A party can then petition the Arizona Supreme Court within 30 days of the Court of Appeals' decision.
What If Someone Other Than Your Employer Caused the Injury?
You may have two claims. Workers' comp generally covers your employer, but if a negligent driver hit you while you were driving for work, or a defective machine injured you, you may also have a separate injury claim against that third party. That claim follows ordinary personal injury rules. Here's more on working with a Phoenix car accident lawyer when a work crash involves another driver.
How Can Meesha Moulton Law Help With an Arizona Workers' Comp Claim?
Arizona's system is built around notices and short windows to respond to them. Meesha Moulton personally reviews every case, so you can find out whether your claim was filed correctly, what a Notice of Claim Status means for you, and whether a hearing request needs to go in now.
Learn more about working with a Phoenix workers' compensation lawyer, visit the firm's Phoenix office, or request a consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Industrial Commission of Arizona
How long do I have to file a workers' comp claim in Arizona?
You generally have one year from the date of injury to file a claim with the Industrial Commission of Arizona. If the injury wasn't apparent right away, the year runs from when it became manifest or when you knew or should have known it was work-related. Telling your employer doesn't count as filing.
How long does the insurance company have to accept or deny my claim?
The carrier generally must issue a Notice of Claim Status accepting or denying your claim within 21 days after the Commission notifies it of your claim. If it doesn't issue a timely denial, Arizona law now requires it to start paying compensation as if the claim were accepted.
What should I do if my Arizona workers' comp claim is denied?
Request a hearing with the Industrial Commission of Arizona within 90 days of the Notice of Claim Status. The request must actually be received by the Commission by the deadline. An administrative law judge will then hear evidence and issue a decision called an award.
How much does workers' comp pay in Arizona?
Temporary total disability pays 66⅔% of your average monthly wage, plus $25 a month if you have dependents. The average monthly wage is capped each year. For 2026 injuries, the cap is $6,131.00, which puts the maximum temporary total disability benefit at about $4,087 a month.
Is there a waiting period for workers' comp in Arizona?
Yes. Wage-loss compensation isn't paid for the first seven days after the injury. If the disability continues past seven days, payment starts on the eighth day, and if it lasts more than 14 days, you're paid back to the date of injury. Medical benefits aren't subject to this waiting period.
Can I appeal an Industrial Commission decision in Arizona?
Yes. First, file a Request for Review with the administrative law judge within 30 days after the award is mailed. If the Decision Upon Review goes against you, you can file a special action with the Arizona Court of Appeals within 30 days after it's mailed.
