Workers' comp claim denied in Minnesota: what to do next

Talk with the claims adjuster and ask whether the insurer will reconsider. Call the DLI Workers' Compensation Help Desk (800-342-5354, press 3), which will direct you to a dispute-resolution specialist, or the Office of Workers' Compensation Ombudsman.

Your employer's insurer, not the state, usually decides first. If they deny or delay, the free help listed here can explain your options.

Checked against official sources: October 31, 2026.

Deadlines are strict. If you are near one, call the state agency or free help today.

If your claim is denied or delayed in Minnesota

Who decides: Compensation judges at the Court of Administrative Hearings (CAH); DLI handles medical and rehabilitation disputes and free mediation; appeals go to the Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals
First step: Talk with the claims adjuster and ask whether the insurer will reconsider. Call the DLI Workers' Compensation Help Desk (800-342-5354, press 3), which will direct you to a dispute-resolution specialist, or the Office of Workers' Compensation Ombudsman. DLI offers free voluntary mediation. To have a judge decide a denied claim, file an Employee's Claim Petition with the Court of Administrative Hearings.
Form: Employee's Claim Petition
Deadline: There is no separate deadline to contest a denial; the claim petition must be filed within 3 years after the written report of injury was made to DLI, and no more than 6 years after the accident. If you receive a Notice of Intention to Discontinue benefits and disagree, request an administrative conference within 12 days.
Medical disagreements: For disputes about medical treatment, a change of doctor or vocational rehabilitation, file a Medical Request or Rehabilitation Request with DLI (online in Work Comp Campus or by mail). A DLI mediator first tries to resolve it; if not, DLI holds an administrative conference and issues a Decision and Order, which can be appealed. If you are in a certified managed care plan, you must first use the plan's dispute process; the plan must respond within 30 days after you write to it.
: Medical Request
Rehabilitation Request
Appealing the decision: Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals, then the Minnesota Supreme Court.

Contact the claims adjuster; then the DLI Help Desk or the Ombudsman for free help.
Free mediation by a DLI mediator, if all parties agree; an agreement becomes a signed award.
File an Employee's Claim Petition with the Court of Administrative Hearings and serve it on the employer and insurer.
A compensation judge holds a settlement conference (within 180 days after the petition is filed) and, if the case does not settle, a hearing.
Appeal the judge's decision to the Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals, then to the Minnesota Supreme Court.

Law: Minn. Stat. §§ 176.106, 176.151, 176.238, 176.291, 176.305

Source: dli.mn.gov

Sources

The official sources for Minnesota are listed on the Minnesota page.

National rules that may also matter

Not covered by state workers' comp?

These federal programs and laws cover some groups of workers instead of, or in addition to, state workers' compensation. If one of them may apply to you, check its rules and deadlines too. They are different from your state's.

Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA): Civilian employees of the federal government, including Postal Service employees. Official page

Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (Longshore Act): Maritime workers such as longshore workers, harbor workers, ship repairers, shipbuilders and ship-breakers, hurt on navigable waters of the United States or on an adjoining pier, wharf, dry dock, terminal or other area used to load, unload, repair or build ships. Some groups are excluded. Official page
Longshore maximum and minimum for October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027 (fiscal year 2027): maximum $2,163.92 a week, minimum $540.98 a week.

Law: 33 U.S.C. 906(b); DOL Longshore NAWW table

Defense Base Act: Civilian employees working outside the United States on U.S. military bases or under a contract with the U.S. government for public works or national defense. Claims are handled by the Longshore program. Official page

Federal Black Lung Program: Coal miners who are totally disabled by black lung disease (pneumoconiosis) from coal mine work, and survivors of miners whose deaths were caused by it. Official page

Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program: Current or former employees of the U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors and subcontractors, and certain uranium miners, millers and ore transporters, who became ill from toxic exposures such as radiation, beryllium or silica at covered work sites, and their survivors. The program is set up by the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA). Official page

Railroad workers (Federal Employers' Liability Act): Employees of railroads in interstate commerce. Instead of a workers' compensation claim, a federal law lets an injured railroad worker sue the railroad for damages caused by its negligence.

Seamen (Jones Act): A seaman injured in the course of employment may bring a lawsuit against the employer, with the right to a jury trial, under the same federal rules that apply to railroad workers.

National help

Your state workers' compensation agency answers questions about claims. Many have a free help line, an ombudsman or information officers for injured workers.

The Legal Services Corporation funds 129 nonprofit legal aid organizations in every state, D.C. and the territories. Enter your address on its website to find one near you. You can also look up legal information and free forms at LawHelp.org. Whether a local program handles workers' compensation cases varies.

LawHelp.org