Arizona Claims Division Revises AMW Procedure Effective December 3, 2012

Phoenix, AZ (WorkersCompensation.com) - Currently, the Claims Division sends a letter of explanation to the injured worker along with its Average Monthly Wage Determination (Form 109) and the carrier/self-insured's Average Monthly Wage Calculation Sheet (Form 108). This letter asks the injured worker to review the calculations used to determine the Average Monthly Wage and provide additional information, if necessary, to the Claims Division within 90 days, which is the protest period for the determination. If the Claims Division receives additional information from the injured worker which supports a different Average Monthly Wage during this time period, it will verify the information with the carrier/self-insured and issue an amended determination, if appropriate.
This procedure increases the amount of time necessary to obtain complete wage information from the parties.

Effective December 3, 2012, the Claims Division will send the letter of explanation to the injured worker along with the carrierlself-insured's Average Monthly Wage Calculation Sheet (Form 108) before it issues the Average Monthly Wage Determination (Form 109). The letter will instruct the injured worker to review the recommended wage along with the calculation sheet and to submit additional wage information, if necessary, within 30 days. If the Claims Division receives additional information from the injured worker which supports a different Average Monthly Wage than that recommended by the carrierlself-insured employer, it will verify the information with the carrier/self-insured, issue its Average Monthly Wage Determination (Form 109), and issue Form I 08-A setting forth the basis for the determination.

The revision to this procedure is intended to ensure that the Claims Division has accurate and complete wage information from the parties at the time it issues its Average Monthly Wage Determination (Form 109) which will reduce the need to issue amended determinations. It will not affect the pmiies 90 day protest period.

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