Claim closure

Your disabling claim closes when your accepted condition is "medically stationary." That means no further improvement would reasonably be expected from medical treatment or the passage of time. We will communicate with your doctor to confirm whether or not you have reached medically stationary status.

Closure also could happen if you've had no medical treatment for 30 days.

Benefits

Closure doesn't necessarily mean that your benefits end. You may be eligible for a permanent disability award, vocational services, or medical treatment. Talk to your adjuster if you have questions about these post-closure benefits.

Learn more about different types of benefits.

Medical treatment

At the time of closure, or even after your claim has been closed, your doctor may recommend further medical treatment. Treatment following claim closure is often called "palliative" care. The purpose of this kind of medical treatment is to reduce or moderate your otherwise stable condition so that you may stay in the workforce.

If your condition gets worse (aggravation rights)

In some instances, your condition may worsen to the point that your doctor will recommend reopening your claim. This is called an aggravation.

A claim can only be reopened for the accepted condition(s). Your physician must provide evidence that your accepted condition has worsened beyond the measurements previously identified. SAIF may have up to 60 days to evaluate your claim for reopening and may require that you see an independent medical examiner (IME).

If you have a disabling claim, it can be reopened up to five years from the date your claim was first closed (or five years from the date of injury on a nondisabling claim), based on a request from you and information on your worsened condition from a doctor.

If your accepted condition worsens more than five years after the first closure date on a disabling claim, you may be entitled to additional benefits under a separate process called "Board's Own Motion." Contact your adjuster for more information.

Reopening is not an option if your claim has been settled.

Appeals

If you disagree with the decision to close your claim, you will have 60 days from the date the Notice of Closure was mailed to appeal the closure decision. Information about how to appeal is included in the Notice of Closure.

Your adjuster will call you to discuss closure, but, as always, feel free to contact us if you have questions.