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Quick answer: The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation has one fax for claims: 1-866-336-8352. It takes the First Report of Injury, Occupational Disease or Death (the FROI, form BWC-1101), documents for an existing claim and address changes, with your claim number on every page. If your employer is self-insuring, the FROI goes to your employer’s workers’ comp manager instead, and treatment requests go to your managed care organisation (MCO), not BWC.
BWC used to give each customer service office its own fax. Since 2017 every office has pointed to the same imaging fax, so it doesn’t matter which office handles your claim.
Ohio’s workers’ comp law names fax outright. Section 4123.84 of the Ohio Revised Code says a claim for a part of the body is barred unless notice of that specific part reaches BWC or the Industrial Commission within one year of the injury, and that the notice can be in writing or by facsimile. BWC can also take a claim by phone.
The claims fax, and where else to send
Checked on BWC’s own forms and pages on 16 October 2026.
| What you’re sending | Fax | Source | Checked on |
|---|---|---|---|
| FROI, if your employer is insured through BWC | 1-866-336-8352 | Printed on the FROI | 16 Oct 2026 |
| FROI, if your employer is self-insuring | Not BWC: your employer’s workers’ comp manager | Note on the FROI | 16 Oct 2026 |
| Documents for an existing claim | 1-866-336-8352 | BWC service office list (“imaging fax”) | 16 Oct 2026 |
| Change of name, address, phone or email (C-77, BWC-1198) | 1-866-336-8352 | Printed on the form | 16 Oct 2026 |
| Treatment requests and medical documentation | Not BWC: your MCO’s own fax | BWC notice on its fax numbers | 16 Oct 2026 |
Self-insuring employer? Different destination
Some Ohio employers pay their own workers’ comp claims instead of buying coverage through BWC. If you work for one of them, the FROI’s own note sends you to your employer’s workers’ comp manager. A self-insuring employer has to keep a notice about claim time limits posted at work, so that poster (or HR) will tell you which kind of employer you have.
Filling in the FROI
The form has four parts: one for you, one for your treating provider, one for your employer, and one for whoever fills it in if that’s someone else. In your part:
- Name each injured body part, with the side. BWC’s examples are “left knee” and “right index finger”. Under section 4123.84 the claim covers the specific parts named, so list every one.
- Describe what happened in order. The form asks for the sequence of events that directly caused the injury, not just the injury itself.
- Say whether you’ll miss eight or more days. There’s a yes/no box for it.
- Sign it. Signing elects Ohio benefits for this claim and confirms you haven’t claimed in another state for the same injury.
The provider’s part asks for a diagnosis rather than a symptom: “sprain right knee”, not “pain right knee”. That’s for your doctor’s office, not you. Put a cover page on the front with your name and date of injury; our cover sheet generator will do.
Download the current FROI from BWC; the version on file at work may be years old.
Faxing documents to an existing claim
Once you have a claim number, put it on every page you fax; BWC asks for that so each page lands in the right file. Then give it 48 hours before you send the same thing again. BWC asks that too, because re-faxing too soon creates duplicate documents. Keep the fax confirmation page, with its date and time, until the claim is allowed.
Two things don’t go to 1-866-336-8352. Medical treatment requests are handled by your employer’s managed care organisation, which keeps its own fax numbers. Lump-sum settlements have their own fax lines as well, so keep settlement papers off the claims fax. For a change of address, the C-77 form goes to BWC’s fax, signed and dated.
Filing online or by phone
Online, through BWC’s filing page, is the route BWC lists first. You can also call BWC on 1-800-OHIOBWC (1-800-644-6292), or post the form to BWC Mail Processing Center, Attn: Claims, 30 W. Spring St., Columbus, OH 43215. After any of them, BWC assigns a claim number and posts its decision to allow or deny the claim as a BWC order.
Municorn Fax faxes the signed FROI to 1-866-336-8352 and keeps a confirmation page showing when it was delivered. On a computer, EveryFax sends from the browser or your email.
If you were hurt somewhere else, the process differs by state: see our guides to the Texas DWC, the Oregon Workers’ Compensation Board and Washington L&I.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I fax the FROI myself?
Yes. The form has a section for you to complete and sign, and Ohio law accepts written or faxed notice to BWC. Your employer and treating provider fill in their own sections.
How long do I have to file in Ohio?
In most cases one year from the injury or death, under Ohio Revised Code section 4123.84. The section has exceptions, for example where the employer has paid wages in place of compensation.
Does BWC take claims over the phone?
Yes. Section 4123.84 lets BWC accept a claim by phone and give it a claim number. Your employer then has 15 days to verify it, or not, in writing or by fax.
What happens after I fax it?
BWC assigns a claim number, then decides whether to allow or deny the claim and posts you the decision as a BWC order.
Sources
- BWC First Report of Injury, Occupational Disease or Death (BWC-1101), revised 13 February 2026: fax, mail and online routes, the self-insuring note, the form’s sections. Checked 16 October 2026.
- BWC service offices: the imaging fax for every office, 1-800-644-6292. Checked 16 October 2026.
- BWC notice on its fax numbers (2017): claim number on every page, 48 hours before re-faxing, MCO and settlement lines. Checked 16 October 2026.
- Injured worker change of information (C-77, BWC-1198). Checked 16 October 2026.
- Ohio Revised Code section 4123.84: one-year limit, written or facsimile notice, phone claims. Checked 16 October 2026.
- BWC, What to do when injured: claim number and BWC orders. Checked 16 October 2026.
- BWC, Filing a claim. Checked 16 October 2026.
