DOI is shorthand for a specific Date of Injury in Workers’ Compensation law. CT DOI is shorthand for Cumulative Trauma DOI (also called Continuous Trauma).
In many cases, the date an injury occurred is clear and obvious. If a worker slips and falls on the job, they’ll know the date the injury happened (specific DOI). Other injuries are not as clear cut. Repetitive strain injuries such as carpel tunnel occur over a period of time (CT DOI). Mental health injuries also may have occurred over the course of time.
Why is DOI important?
Every workers compensation claim is required to include a DOI to establish when an employee first suffered an injury. The DOI factors into the compensation rate, employer’s overall liability, and what regulations will apply to the claim.
For a specific injury, this is simply the date the injury occurred.
What do I do for a Cumulative Trauma injury?
If a workplace injury takes place over a period of time, such as a repetitive work strain injury or a work illness/exposure, the CT DOI is the date range of industrial exposure when the employee suffered an injury from the workplace environment. If the employee is not certain of an exact date, they may use the date when the employee first noticed symptoms of the cumulative trauma, injury or illness. It’s important to be as specific as possible.
We’re here to help if you have questions
If you have a work injury and you are not sure how to proceed in your claim, reach out to us if you need help. We will advocate for you to receive the benefits in the Workers’ Compensation system. The process can be daunting; we strive to make it easier for you. Suffering an injury on the job is stressful. We can relieve some of the stress from the claim process.