The report listed below shows the number of initial voluntary payment claims for 2008 that were disputed. We have excluded any claims in which a Form 104A or 104C was filed or in which partial benefits were initially paid.  As noted on the chart below, the average for all companies is 10%. The numbers are lower than in past years because we are now only counting a claim as disputed if we receive the Form 107 before the initial Form 701, and we used to count them if a Form 107 was filed at any time during the life of the claim. 

We urge you to examine the report and compare your company's percentage to others in your grouping as well as to the statewide average.   While I appreciate that there are going to be situations where payment of compensation should be disputed, there certainly is no excuse for filing Notices of Dispute in a high percentage of payment cases. We ask that you examine your company's current policy on this issue and remind your claims department that filing unnecessary Notices of Dispute may do more to encourage litigation rather than prevent it, and adds additional costs to the agency in having to process these forms.

If you have any questions about this report, please contact Kathy Rademacher at (517) 322-1883 or e-mail her at rademacherk1@michigan.gov.

Total
Claims

Claims
w/o 107's

Claims
w/107's

% Disputed
Claims

  2,030

  1,785

 245

 12.07%

  12,153

  10,525

  1,628

 13.40%

  5,882

  5,467

 415

 7.06%

  20,065

  17,777

  2,043

 10.18%