§11.5 Overview

• Library: Workers' Compensation Law Deskbook Vol. 2 (2020 Ed.)

A. (§11.5) Overview

The phrase “claim for compensation” is not defined in The Workers’ Compensation Law of Missouri (the Law), Chapter 287, RSMo. Many claimants believe that by reporting the accident and receiving medical care and temporary total disability they have filed a “claim” when, in fact, they have only reported the accident or condition. The only way to stop the statute of limitations is to file an official claim, Form WC-21-A, Claim for Compensation, which is available at:

https://labor.mo.gov/sites/labor/files/pubs_forms/WC-21-A-AI.pdf

This form changes every few years at various times and without much notice. To avoid using an outdated form, it is advisable to fill out the online version rather than downloading and reusing a potentially outdated form. The claim for compensation form protects the claimant’s personal information by requiring only the last four digits of their Social Security number.

It is recommended that counsel prepare and file the claim for compensation after being retained. In rare circumstances, there are legitimate reasons to wait to file the claim, such as the need to determine the date of injury or diagnosis of an occupational disease or description of the injury, or other concerns. While it is important to accurately provide correct information when filing the...