Workers' Compensation - DOES

The Workers' Compensation Program processes claims and monitors the payment of benefits to injured private-sector employees in the District of Columbia. Disputes between claimants and employers (or their insurance carriers) are mediated and employers are monitored to ensure compliance with insurance coverage requirements. The program administers the special/second injury fund, which provides benefits in cases of uninsured employers or in instances where an injury combines with a pre-existing disability to cause a substantially greater disability. Also, the program approves lump-sum settlements, assesses penalties and fines for non-compliance with the law and monitors vocational rehabilitation.

The DC Office of Workers’ Compensation has established a convenient process to submit the necessary forms when a private-sector employee has experienced a work-related injury or illness. You may now access the following online forms to begin the filing process without having to hand-deliver or mail the documents to the D.C. Office of Workers’ Compensation. If you prefer to mail your documents, you may mail the information to the address located on the forms.

Please see the following links to access the necessary forms:

How to File a Claim

Report job-related injury or illness promptly to the employer.
Report job-related injury or illness in writing to the Office of Workers’ Compensation within 30 days of occurrence or awareness.
Complete the DCWC Form 7. The form can be obtained from the employer, insurance carrier, or Office of Workers' Compensation.
Keep a copy of the completed form for your records, file a copy with your employer and send the original to the Office of Workers' Compensation.
DCWC Form 7A must be filed within one year after injury or death. The form can be obtained from the employer, insurance carrier, or the Office of Workers' Compensation.

Workers' Compensation Forms

In order to apply for a formal hearing with the Administrative Hearings Division (AHD), please file an Application for Formal Hearing Form No. 20 via AHD’s e-File system. If you have questions on how to apply, please visit the Administrative Hearings Divisions webpage.

Other Resources

OSHA UPDATE: NEW REPORTING REQUIREMENTS START JANUARY 1.

Beginning January 1, 2015, there will be a change to what covered employers are required to report to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Employers will now be required to report all work-related fatalities within 8 hours and all in-patient hospitalizations, amputations, and losses of an eye within 24 hours of finding of the incident. For more information and resources visit The Office of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH).

Administrative Policy Issuance

The purpose of this Administrative Policy Issuance is to amend Administrative Policy Issuance 05-01 and provide specific delegation of authority to review decisions of the custodian of the Special Fund to the Office of the Director. Specifically this issuance reviews the relevant background and legal authority, amends Section 3 to eliminate any conflicting language and to limit the delegation of the Director's authority to the Compensation Order Review Board to what has been mandated by statute, and amends Section 4 to include a new section delegating the Director's authority as the custodian of the Special fund to the OWC and setting forth a process to review the custodian's Determination of Payment from the Special Fund. Finally, this Administrative Policy Issuance also repeals the June 9, 2006 General Counsel Opinion (2006 GC Opinion), without replacement.

Administrative Policy Issuance No. 05-1

The Workers' Compensation Program is managed and administered through the Office of Workers' Compensation. For more information, contact the following:

DC Department of Employment Services
Labor Standards Bureau
Office of Workers' Compensation
4058 Minnesota Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20019
Phone: (202) 671-1000
Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday, 8:30 am-5 pm