How to File in Maricopa County
Filing the claim correctly matters almost as much as the injury itself.
A Tempe workers' comp claim starts the same way whether you work at ASU's Tempe campus, State Farm's Marina Heights office complex, GoDaddy's headquarters, or a logistics facility like Amazon's DPX4 fulfillment center: you report the injury to your employer, get treatment, and your employer or their insurer notifies the Industrial Commission of Arizona (ICA). Tempe doesn't have its own ICA office — the Commission's only physical offices statewide are in Phoenix and Tucson — so most of what happens after the initial report, including hearings, is handled centrally rather than at a local courthouse. Understanding that process up front, including the strict deadlines involved, is what keeps a routine Tempe workplace injury from turning into a denied claim.
Quick answer
You (or more often your employer, on your behalf) report the injury and file it with the employer's workers' comp insurance carrier, which is required to notify the Industrial Commission of Arizona. There's no separate Tempe-specific filing office — the claim is processed by the carrier and the ICA centrally, and if it's accepted, you start receiving medical and wage benefits; if it's denied, you have a limited window to formally challenge the decision.
Related topics
Overview
Once you report a work injury to your employer, Arizona law puts the obligation on the employer to notify their workers' comp insurance carrier, which then reports the claim to the Industrial Commission of Arizona. Coverage itself is required under A.R.S. § 23-961 for the large majority of Arizona employers, so whether you work in ASU's Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering facilities, a State Farm claims-support role at Marina Heights, GoDaddy's Tempe headquarters, or a warehouse position at Amazon's DPX4 fulfillment center, your employer should already have coverage in place before you're ever injured.
Because the ICA's only physical hearing offices are in Phoenix and Tucson, Tempe claimants shouldn't expect a local courthouse process. Prehearing conferences are commonly handled by phone or Google Meet, and Administrative Law Judge hearings are often conducted by video conference rather than in person. This is different from Maricopa County's Superior Court system — which handles civil, criminal, and family matters for Tempe residents out of the Central Court Building in downtown Phoenix — because a workers' comp claim itself never goes to Superior Court; only a separate third-party lawsuit arising from the same accident would.
If your claim gets denied at any stage, it helps to understand the appeal process for a denied Arizona workers' comp claim before your 90-day window to request a hearing runs out.
Process
Benefits and value
Common risks
Why legal help matters
Filing a workers' comp claim correctly the first time — with complete medical records, a timely report to your employer, and attention to the ICA's deadlines — gives you the best shot at a smooth claim. If your claim has stalled, been denied, or you're unsure how to respond to a notice from the Industrial Commission of Arizona, getting help before the 90-day clock runs out matters.
A free case review can help you understand where your Tempe claim stands and what to do next. This site is an independent educational and referral platform — not a law firm, medical provider, or government agency — and outcomes in any workers' comp matter depend on the specific facts of your claim.
FAQ
There's no ICA office in Tempe — your claim goes to your employer's insurance carrier and then to the Industrial Commission of Arizona, which has physical offices only in Phoenix and Tucson statewide.
Not necessarily. Prehearing conferences are often handled by phone or Google Meet, and Administrative Law Judge hearings are frequently conducted by video conference, so many claimants never have to appear in person at either ICA office.
A.R.S. § 23-947 generally gives you 90 days from the date of the denial or benefit termination notice to request a hearing before the ICA.
No — workers' comp claims are handled entirely by the Industrial Commission of Arizona through its Administrative Law Judge Division, not by the Superior Court. Superior Court's Central Court Building in Phoenix only comes into play for a separate third-party civil lawsuit, if one applies.
The filing process itself is the same everywhere, but the type of documentation that supports your claim can differ — a lifting injury at a logistics facility like Amazon's DPX4 fulfillment center looks different on paper than a repetitive-strain claim from an office role at State Farm's Marina Heights campus or GoDaddy's headquarters.
Next steps