How Do I Look Up a California Workers' Comp Case?

How do I look up a California workers' comp case?

Use the Division of Workers' Compensation's public case search tool. It can find a case by case number, injured worker name, or employer, but only after the case has been opened with an EAMS case number at the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB).

Many injured workers assume the claim number on their benefit checks will work in a government lookup tool. It will not. The insurance company's claim number and the WCAB's case number live in two different systems and rarely look alike.

The state's case search tool covers only cases that have reached the WCAB through an Application for Adjudication of Claim. Reporting an injury to your employer, or filing the DWC-1 claim form, does not by itself create a case that tool can find.

This guide covers how a case search works in California's workers' comp system, what an EAMS or ADJ number is, why a case sometimes will not appear, and where to get answers when the online tool cannot help.

What is an EAMS or ADJ case number?

It is the case number the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board assigns once an Application for Adjudication of Claim is filed. Most current numbers start with the letters ADJ followed by a string of digits, such as ADJ1234567.

The state's case management system is called EAMS, short for Electronic Adjudication Management System. The DWC and the WCAB use it to track open cases, hearings, and filings, including appeals after a judge's decision.

Cases opened before EAMS went live in 2008 sometimes kept an older legacy number instead: an old venue code (such as OAK or SDO) followed by seven digits, for example OAK0123456. The DWC's legacy case number lookup tool can convert between a legacy number and its matching EAMS number. This is useful if an old letter or form only lists one of the two.

How does the California workers' comp case search tool work?

You give your name, an email address, and a reason for the search, then search by case number, the injured worker's name, or the employer's name. The tool returns limited case details, not full documents.

The search tool runs on the DWC's EAMS system and is free and open to the public. Before you can search, state law requires you to identify yourself and state a reason for the request, such as a case information search or preparing for a hearing or filing. State law also requires that you not pass along what you find to anyone not entitled to it under Labor Code section 138.7. The tool does not disclose an injured worker's home address or Social Security number, and it does not hand over copies of documents.

The results are not live. The DWC refreshes the data overnight, so it can run about a day behind, and it only shows what district office staff or electronic filers have already entered into the system.

Why can't I find my case in the search tool?

The most common reason is that the underlying WCAB case has never been opened. Reporting your injury and filing the DWC-1 claim form start your claim with the employer and insurer, but neither one opens a WCAB case by itself.

The public search only covers cases in the DWC's Adjudication Unit. If your claim has not reached that unit, there is nothing for the tool to show, even though the claim may be fully active with the insurance company. The Application for Adjudication of Claim is the filing that opens a WCAB case and gives it a number, under the pleading rule in Labor Code section 5500.

A few other reasons a search can come up empty:

• The claim is accepted and being paid without a dispute, so no one has needed to open a WCAB case yet.
• An Application was filed recently and has not been entered into the system, since the data only refreshes overnight.
• The case number was typed with a space or a typo. Legacy and EAMS numbers should be entered with no space between the letters and the digits.
• The case uses a legacy number and you searched the EAMS format, or the other way around. The DWC's lookup tool converts between the two.

If your claim was denied, delayed, or stopped and you still do not have a case number, that is often a sign it is worth asking whether an Application should be filed. See what to do after a workers' comp claim denial for next steps.

How do I get case information from my claims administrator or attorney?

Call the claims administrator handling your claim, meaning the insurance company or third-party administrator paying your benefits, or call your attorney if you have one. Either can see claim details the public search never shows, such as payment history and treatment authorizations.

Your claims administrator makes day-to-day decisions on your claim and should be able to tell you its own claim number, your adjuster's name, and the status of any pending request. That claim number is usually printed on benefit notices and checks, and it is worth keeping along with the adjuster's direct phone number.

If you already have an attorney, the office can normally tell you the EAMS case number, the next hearing date, and what is actually happening in the case faster than a public search can. If you do not have an attorney and are not sure whether a WCAB case has ever been opened for you, that is worth asking about before a deadline passes.

For general questions about the search tool itself, the state's EAMS Help Desk can look up case status information by phone at 1-888-771-3267, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., except holidays.

Yazdchi Law P.C. represents injured workers across the Antelope Valley and the wider Los Angeles region who are trying to work out where their case actually stands, whether that means reading what a case search returned, tracking down an old legacy number, or deciding whether it is time to open a WCAB case before a deadline passes.

The firm reviews each potential matter individually. Call (661) 273-1780 or use the contact form and describe what you already have, such as a case number, a claim number, or a denial letter. If your claim was denied or has stalled, see what to do after a workers' comp claim denial, or read about when a workers' comp lawyer can help.