How to File a Workers' Compensation Claim in Wyoming
Reviewed by DocDraft Legal Team · Wyoming · Last updated 2026-09-07
A workers' compensation claim is how an employee who is injured on the job, or made ill by work, obtains medical care and wage-replacement benefits without having to prove the employer was at fault. Wyoming is a monopolistic state fund, so coverage comes through the state, administered by the Workers' Compensation Division of the Department of Workforce Services (DWS), which is both the administrator and the insurer that decides your claim. Two deadlines are critical. You must report the occurrence and general nature of the accident or injury to your employer as soon as practical, no later than 72 hours after the injury became apparent (Wyo. Stat. 27-14-502). You must also file a Report of Injury with your employer and the Division within 10 days, after which DWS assigns a nine-digit claim number. Separately, you generally have one year from the date the injury occurred, or from its discovery, to file an application or claim for benefits (Wyo. Stat. 27-14-503); the injury report itself is not a claim for benefits. If you disagree with a determination, the Division refers a contested case to the Office of Administrative Hearings, or to the Workers' Compensation Medical Commission for a medical dispute. Attorney review of your claim is available through DocDraft.
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How do I file a workers' compensation claim in Wyoming?
First, report your injury to your employer as soon as practical, no later than 72 hours after it becomes apparent (Wyo. Stat. 27-14-502). Then file a Report of Injury with your employer and the Workers' Compensation Division within 10 days. The Division assigns a claim number and reviews your claim.
How long do I have to file a workers' compensation claim in Wyoming?
Several deadlines matter. Report the injury to your employer within 72 hours, and file a Report of Injury with the Division within 10 days (Wyo. Stat. 27-14-502). Separately, you generally have one year from the injury or its discovery to file your claim for benefits (Wyo. Stat. 27-14-503).
What is the Report of Injury form in Wyoming?
The Report of Injury is Wyoming's form for opening a workers' compensation claim. You file it with your employer and the Department of Workforce Services Workers' Compensation Division within 10 days of the injury (Wyo. Stat. 27-14-502), ideally completed with your employer. The Division then assigns a nine-digit claim number.
Who handles workers' compensation claims in Wyoming?
Wyoming is a monopolistic state fund, so claims are administered by the Workers' Compensation Division of the Department of Workforce Services (DWS), which is also the insurer deciding your claim. If a dispute arises, the Office of Administrative Hearings, or the Workers' Compensation Medical Commission, adjudicates the contested case.
Wyoming workers' compensation claim law at a glance
In Wyoming, workers' compensation gives an employee injured on the job medical care and wage-replacement benefits, regardless of fault. Wyoming is a monopolistic state fund, so coverage runs through the state, administered by the Workers' Compensation Division of the Department of Workforce Services (DWS), which is both administrator and insurer. You must report the occurrence and general nature of the accident or injury to your employer as soon as practical, no later than 72 hours after it becomes apparent (Wyo. Stat. 27-14-502). You must also file a Report of Injury with your employer and the Division within 10 days, and DWS then assigns a nine-digit claim number. If your claim is disputed, you generally have one year from the injury or its discovery to file an application or claim for benefits (Wyo. Stat. 27-14-503).
Filing a Wyoming workers' compensation claim after a rig injury
Suppose you hurt your shoulder on a Wyoming drilling rig. You tell your supervisor that day and put it in writing, staying well inside the 72-hour reporting window (Wyo. Stat. 27-14-502). Within a few days, you and your employer complete a Report of Injury and file it with the Workers' Compensation Division, staying inside the 10-day deadline. DWS assigns a nine-digit claim number, which you give to your doctor so treatment is billed to Workers' Compensation. The Division reviews the claim but disputes how much wage-replacement you are owed. Because you generally have one year from the injury to act (Wyo. Stat. 27-14-503), you file your claim for benefits and request a hearing. Attorney review of your claim is available through DocDraft.
Relevant Laws
Wyo. Stat. 27-14-502 (72-hour report to employer; 10-day injury report)
Requires an injured employee, as soon as practical but no later than 72 hours after the general nature of the injury became apparent, to report the occurrence and general nature of the accident or injury to the employer, and to file an injury report with the employer and the Division within 10 days. Failure to do so raises a presumption that the claim shall be denied.
Wyo. Stat. 27-14-503 (one-year statute of limitations to file a claim)
Provides that for an injury from a single brief occurrence, an application or claim for benefits must be filed within one year after the date the injury occurred, or for injuries not readily apparent, within one year after discovery of the injury by the employee. The injury report is not a claim for benefits.
Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, Workers' Compensation, Injured Workers
The DWS Workers' Compensation Division page explains that Wyoming is a monopolistic state fund, instructs injured workers to report the injury within 72 hours and file a Report of Injury within 10 days, and notes that after the report is received DWS assigns a nine-digit claim number used to bill treatment.
Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, Injured Workers FAQ
The DWS injured-worker FAQ instructs employees to report the injury to their supervisor no later than 72 hours after it happens and to file a Report of Injury with Workers' Compensation within 10 days, completed with the employer and signed, before the Division reviews the claim.
Regional Variances
Wyoming workers' compensation claim rules at a glance
Reporting deadline
Report the accident or injury to your employer as soon as practical, no later than 72 hours after its general nature becomes apparent, under Wyo. Stat. 27-14-502. Late reporting raises a presumption that the claim shall be denied.
Injury report and claim form
File a Report of Injury with your employer and the Workers' Compensation Division within 10 days of the injury (Wyo. Stat. 27-14-502). The Division then assigns a nine-digit claim number used to bill treatment.
Filing deadline
Generally one year from the date the injury occurred, or from its discovery, to file an application or claim for benefits (Wyo. Stat. 27-14-503). The injury report is not itself a claim for benefits.
Who administers it
The Workers' Compensation Division of the Department of Workforce Services (DWS). Wyoming is a monopolistic state fund, so the Division is both the administrator and the insurer that decides the claim.
How disputes are decided
Request a hearing to contest a determination. The Division refers general disputes to the Office of Administrative Hearings and medical disputes to the Workers' Compensation Medical Commission, with appeals to district court.
Suggested Compliance Checklist
Report the injury to your employer within 72 hours
Within 72 hours of the injury becoming apparent days after startingReport the occurrence and general nature of the accident or injury to your employer as soon as practical, no later than 72 hours after its general nature becomes apparent (Wyo. Stat. 27-14-502). Report in writing, keep a dated copy, and act immediately to protect your benefits.
File a Report of Injury with the Division within 10 days
Within 10 days of the injury becoming apparent days after startingFile a Report of Injury with your employer and the DWS Workers' Compensation Division within 10 days (Wyo. Stat. 27-14-502). Complete it fully, ideally with your employer, and sign it. The Division assigns a nine-digit claim number. Attorney review of your claim is available through DocDraft.
Get medical care and give providers your claim number
Ongoing after the injury days after startingSeek treatment and tell providers the injury is work related. Give each provider your nine-digit claim number so care is billed to Workers' Compensation. Keep every medical record, bill, and letter, since documentation supports your claim if benefits are later disputed.
Track the Division's determination and deadlines
While the claim is pending days after startingThe Workers' Compensation Division will issue a determination on compensability and benefits. Calendar any deadline the Division sets, keep proof of what you sent, and note the injury date so you can protect the one-year claim window under Wyo. Stat. 27-14-503.
File your claim for benefits within one year
Within one year of the injury or its discovery days after startingFile an application or claim for benefits within one year after the injury occurred, or after your discovery of the injury (Wyo. Stat. 27-14-503). Remember the injury report is not a claim for benefits, so file early and request a hearing if the Division denies or underpays you.
| Task | Description | Document | Days after starting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Report the injury to your employer within 72 hours | Report the occurrence and general nature of the accident or injury to your employer as soon as practical, no later than 72 hours after its general nature becomes apparent (Wyo. Stat. 27-14-502). Report in writing, keep a dated copy, and act immediately to protect your benefits. | - | Within 72 hours of the injury becoming apparent |
| File a Report of Injury with the Division within 10 days | File a Report of Injury with your employer and the DWS Workers' Compensation Division within 10 days (Wyo. Stat. 27-14-502). Complete it fully, ideally with your employer, and sign it. The Division assigns a nine-digit claim number. Attorney review of your claim is available through DocDraft. | - | Within 10 days of the injury becoming apparent |
| Get medical care and give providers your claim number | Seek treatment and tell providers the injury is work related. Give each provider your nine-digit claim number so care is billed to Workers' Compensation. Keep every medical record, bill, and letter, since documentation supports your claim if benefits are later disputed. | - | Ongoing after the injury |
| Track the Division's determination and deadlines | The Workers' Compensation Division will issue a determination on compensability and benefits. Calendar any deadline the Division sets, keep proof of what you sent, and note the injury date so you can protect the one-year claim window under Wyo. Stat. 27-14-503. | - | While the claim is pending |
| File your claim for benefits within one year | File an application or claim for benefits within one year after the injury occurred, or after your discovery of the injury (Wyo. Stat. 27-14-503). Remember the injury report is not a claim for benefits, so file early and request a hearing if the Division denies or underpays you. | - | Within one year of the injury or its discovery |
Frequently Asked Questions
A workers' compensation claim is how an employee injured on the job, or made sick by work, obtains medical care and wage-replacement benefits without proving fault. In Wyoming, a monopolistic state fund, you open a claim by reporting the injury and filing a Report of Injury with the Department of Workforce Services Workers' Compensation Division.
Reporting means telling your employer within 72 hours and filing a Report of Injury with the Division within 10 days (Wyo. Stat. 27-14-502). Filing a claim is the separate step of applying for benefits, which you generally must do within one year. Wyoming law says the injury report is not a claim for benefits.
You must report the occurrence and general nature of the accident or injury to your employer as soon as practical, no later than 72 hours after its general nature becomes apparent (Wyo. Stat. 27-14-502). You must also file a Report of Injury with your employer and the Division within 10 days.
Generally, you have one year to file an application or claim for benefits, running from the date the injury occurred or, for injuries not readily apparent, from your discovery of the injury (Wyo. Stat. 27-14-503). The injury report is not itself a claim, so missing this one-year deadline can bar benefits.
Reporting late is risky. Wyo. Stat. 27-14-502 says failure to report the injury to your employer and file the injury report on time raises a presumption that the claim shall be denied. You can rebut it only with clear and convincing evidence the employer or Division was not prejudiced.
The Workers' Compensation Division of the Department of Workforce Services makes the initial determination, since Wyoming is a monopolistic state fund. If you disagree, the Division refers a general contested case to the Office of Administrative Hearings, or a medical dispute to the Workers' Compensation Medical Commission, which issues a decision.
No. Wyoming workers' compensation is a no-fault system, so you do not have to prove your employer did anything wrong to receive benefits. You generally need to show the injury arose out of and in the course of your employment. In exchange, benefits are set by statute rather than a jury.
If the Division denies or underpays your claim, request a hearing. The Division refers a general dispute to the Office of Administrative Hearings, or a medical dispute to the Workers' Compensation Medical Commission, and you may later appeal to district court. Attorney review of your case is available through DocDraft.
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