I have a Hearing at The Ohio Industrial Commission: What to expect…
Many of our workers’ compensation clients first contact us after they get a notice that their BWC claim is set for a hearing at the Industrial Commission.
We hear mostly from people who have hearings at the Cincinnati or Fairborn Industrial Commission office locations.
Understanding Industrial Commission Hearings
Common Hearing Issues
What happens in the hearings depends on what issue is being addressed. This can vary quite a bit. However, typical hearing issues include:
- Initial injury allowance
- Treatment requests
- Additional allowance requests
- Payment of bills
- Payment of temporary total disability compensation
Two Levels of Hearings
There are two levels of hearing at the Industrial Commission:
- The District Hearing Officer level
- The Staff Hearing Officer level
Many workers' comp hearings are quite brief, only lasting a few minutes. Others can take as long as half an hour or more.
Hearing Procedures and Rules
Discussion and Questioning
Generally speaking, each side’s representative (i.e., for the employer, the employee, and/or the BWC) will have an opportunity to discuss evidence or information about the issue at hand.
They may also ask questions of the other side.
Informal Rules of Evidence
The formal rules of evidence do not apply to these administrative hearings, so they can be rather informal at times.
The formal rules of evidence do not apply to these administrative hearings so they can be rather informal at times and the parties do not need to worry about rules concerning admissibility, hearsay, etc..
The parties do not need to worry about rules concerning admissibility, hearsay, etc.
Preparing for Your Hearing
Knowing the Hearing's Purpose
It is very important to make sure one knows exactly what his or her hearing is about in advance.
Coming into a hearing ill-prepared can be detrimental to one’s claim.
Seeking Legal Consultation
Consulting with one of the attorneys at McKenzie & Snyder LLP can help you better prepare for your workers' comp hearing.
Serving All Of Ohio
McKenzie & Snyder LLP represents injured workers and accident victims statewide — all 88 Ohio counties. Our Hamilton office is the base we work from, and rural families and small-town Ohioans are who we serve.
Communities We Help
- Hamilton
- Middletown
- Oxford
- Trenton
- Fairfield
- Cincinnati
- Dayton
- Toledo
- Canton
- Youngstown
- Akron
- Lima
- Bellefontaine
- Sandusky
- East Liverpool
- Steubenville
- Cambridge
- Zanesville
- Chillicothe
- Portsmouth
- Gallipolis
- Hillsboro
- Athens
Counties We Serve
- Butler County
- Preble County
- Clermont County
- Wyandot County
- Crawford County
- Richland County
- Muskingum County
- Guernsey County
- Belmont County
- Pike County
- Scioto County
- Fayette County
- Ross County
- Mahoning County
- Summit County
- Lucas County
- Allen County
- Stark County
- Jefferson County
- Adams County
Injured somewhere else in Ohio? We take cases statewide.
