The Office of Independent Review (OIR)

Mission Statement: To provide personal and timely independent dispute resolution services and education to North Dakota workers.

The Office of Independent Review (OIR) provides assistance to workers questioning decisions made on a claim. Enacted by the North Dakota Legislature, the office seeks to assist workers with claim issues in a fast, fair, and independent manner. OIR is independent of the Claims Department of Workforce Safety & Insurance (WSI) and services are provided at no cost.

Workers are not required to request assistance from OIR following receipt of an administrative order. However, attorney fees will only be paid by WSI (up to established caps) if the worker first attempted to resolve the disputed order by requesting OIR’s assistance and ultimately prevailed on further appeal of the order. To request assistance regarding an administrative order, a worker must send a written request to the office within 30 days of the mailing date of the order. A good faith effort to resolve the dispute is required to successfully complete the process. At the end of the process the worker will receive a letter from OIR explaining the results of the review and a certificate of completion explaining how to further appeal the order if the worker remains unsatisfied. A hearing request must be made within 30 days from the mailing date of the certificate of completion.

You may contact OIR by:

• Visiting our office at 2525 East Rosser Avenue, Suite 4 in Bismarck, ND. No appointment is necessary, but you may wish to call ahead to ensure an advocate is available to meet with you upon arrival.
• Calling (701) 328-9900 or 1-800-701-4932
• E-mailing us at wsiOIR@nd.gov
• Faxing (701) 328-9911
• Writing to 2525 East Rosser Avenue, Suite 4, Bismarck, ND, 58501-5077

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