The Legislature has directed OAH under Minn. Stat. 176.001 to:
assure the quick and efficient delivery of indemnity and medical benefits to injured workers at a reasonable cost to the employers who are subject to the provisions of this chapter. It is the specific intent of the legislature that workers' compensation cases shall be decided on their merits and that the common law rule of "liberal construction" based on the supposed "remedial" basis of workers' compensation legislation shall not apply in such cases. The workers' compensation system in Minnesota is based on a mutual renunciation of common law rights and defenses by employers and employees alike. Employees' rights to sue for damages over and above medical and health care benefits and wage loss benefits are to a certain degree limited by the provisions of this chapter, and employers' rights to raise common law defenses such as lack of negligence, contributory negligence on the part of the employee, and others, are curtailed as well. Accordingly, the legislature hereby declares that the workers' compensation laws are not remedial in any sense and are not to be given a broad liberal construction in favor of the claimant or employee on the one hand, nor are the rights and interests of the employer to be favored over those of the employee on the other hand.
The resources on this website are intended to aid the various particpants in the workers' compensation process. Attorneys, Employees, Employers, Intervenors and Insurers can find content specific to their involvement by following the navigation links at the top and bottom of this page.
OAH/WC Mediation Services forms have been updated. All of the OAH judge mediators are available one week per month for mediations. Parties seeking mediation may file a
Mediation Request Form [PDF format] or MS Word format. Please fill out the form as fully as possible. The more complete the form, the more likely we will be able to determine if the case is appropriate for mediation and schedule mediation.
The Mediation Request Form may be mailed to: P.O. Box 64620, St. Paul, MN 55164-0620. Please mark the outside of the envelope MEDIATION. As always, DO NOT SEND ANY CONFIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS WITH YOUR MEDIATION REQUEST FORM.
Please review the OAH Mediation Attorney Information Sheet [PDF format] or MS Word format with instructions on how and where to file your request OAH Mediation. You will also find contact information, the procedures for scheduling mediation and how to file documents, records and statements for OAH Mediation.
In addition, the Mediation Ground Rules [PDF format] and Mediation Agreement [PDF format] MS Word format are available for use by participants.
Short biographies of some the OAH Compensation Judges are now available on the Compensation Judge Roster. The information is not yet complete, information is expected to be available on all Compensation Judges within a short time.
Notices can now be sent by e-mail for those who enroll. For all the details, read the E-service Announcement. The E-service Announcement is also available in PDF and MS Word formats for easier distribution and form completion.
Chief Judge Krause has issued Guidelines for Workers Compensation Division Practice [PDF format] to provide guidance to members of the workers compensation bar and to compensation judges regarding mutual expectations and best practices for the efficient and fair processing of matters before the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH). Please note that nothing contained in the Guidelines should be construed to modify or supplant existing rules of the tribunal or statutes pertaining to workers compensation.
OAH-WC has changed the telephone number for .239 requests. For all the details, visit the .239 Update Page.
OAH-WC is undergoing a variety of changes to the Workers Compensation litigation process. Read the OAH-WC Frequently Asked Questions for an overview of the new process.
The Central Corridor Light Rail line will run along Robert Street in front of the Stassen Building. Construction has begun, affecting access to OAH. For more information, including lane closures and parking lot access, check the Central Corridor Capitol Area Construction Update.
OAH-WC now requires a Certificate of Readiness to be filed when cases are ready to be set. The forms are available on the Certificate of Readiness Page and the Workers Comp Forms Page. When all the parties are in agreement that the case should be set for hearing, please check that option and do not file any additional forms for the other parties. Where the parties are not in agreement, the employee's counsel may still file the Certificate of Readiness but another party may object. There is a form for that purpose.
The goal of the Certificate of Readiness process is to set the matter on for hearing within 3 months of the filing of the Certificate of Readiness, where all parties agree that the case is ready for hearing.
Last Updated - March 2, 2011