Hearings are initiated by filing a Demand for Hearing (the form is optional but highly encouraged) with the Hearings Unit. The demand needs to include a copy of the order or action being contested.
The Hearings Unit is fully screened from internal systems and other divisions in the organization so we cannot access this information unless you include it.
Demands contesting actions or orders of the commissioner must be filed within 90 days of the order or action, or the right to contest the action or order is waived. We do not hear cases for actions involving unemployment or L&I claims.
If the demand is filed before the effective date of the commissioner's action or order, the action or order is stayed until entry of a final order by the presiding officer.
A Demand for Hearing must:
- Be in writing, specifying in what respects such person is so aggrieved and the grounds to be relied upon as basis for the relief to be demanded at the hearing,
- Include a valid email address for electronic service, and
- Be delivered to the Tumwater office of the OIC by Email, USPS mail, hand delivery, or fax.
Your attorney or representative can sign and file the demand, but the demand for hearing must also include your contact information.
The Administrative Hearings unit prefers all demands, documents, and correspondence to be submitted electronically. All communications, including the serving of legal orders or papers, coming from the unit will be by email.
Options for filing a Demand for Hearing and submitting documents
To file electronically, contact Administrative Hearings, you can also email hearingsu@oic.wa.gov or by fax at 360-339-7061, Attn: Administrative Hearings Unit.
To send by mail:
Administrative Hearings
Office of the Insurance Commissioner
P.O. Box 40255
Olympia, WA 98504-0255
What happens after I file a demand for hearing?
The Administrative Hearings unit will review the Demand for Hearing. If the demand is incomplete, then an email will be sent requesting the missing information. If the demand is complete, then an email acknowledgment that your demand has been received and filed will be sent, including what the next steps will be for your case.
If the demand is filed prior to the effective date of the commissioner's order or action, the order or action will be automatically stayed; that is, it will not go into effect pending the final outcome of the case.
The OIC doesn’t handle unemployment insurance or industrial insurance claims (also known as workers’ compensation). We also do not hear cases involving these types of actions.
In Washington state, the Employment Security Department handles unemployment benefits, and the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries handles workers’ compensation claims. You can contact these respective agencies to check the status of these types of claims.