AOE/COE & Workers' Compensation
Compensability Investigations Built for the File.
We conduct AOE/COE compensability investigations inside the 90-day window. Services include recorded statements, scene work, witness interviews, and prior claims research. All work is built to the standard your SIU, counsel, and the Appeals Board expect.
- 90-Day
- Good-Faith Investigation Window
- AOE/COE
- Compensability Determinations
- Recorded
- Statements & Transcripts
- Court-Ready
- Scene & Witness Evidence
The Investigation the File Needs, Inside the 90-Day Window
California's 90-day investigation window, and comparable good-faith requirements in other jurisdictions, means carriers, TPAs, and self-insured employers cannot afford a slow start on a disputed claim. Our claims investigators are built for this. We run AOE/COE compensability investigations, take recorded statements, document the scene, locate witnesses, and pull prior claims and medical history. Reports are ready for adjuster decision, appeals board review, and defense counsel use.
AOE/COE Compensability Investigation
Full AOE/COE analysis from intake through written determination report. Built to California Labor Code 3600 / 3208 standards. Cross-jurisdictional coverage for multi-state carriers.Recorded Statements
Recorded statements from claimants, witnesses, supervisors, and co-workers. Taken in compliance with one- and two-party consent rules, transcribed, and prepared to evidentiary standards.Scene Investigation & Reconstruction
On-site scene work for workplace injuries: photography, measurements, diagrams, and equipment documentation. We cover slip-and-fall, machinery, forklift, ladder, struck-by, and caught-in-between events.Witness Locate & Interviews
Locating and interviewing neutral, hostile, and reluctant witnesses, including neighborhood canvass, co-worker interviews, and locating witnesses who have moved or gone silent.Prior Claims & Medical History
ISO ClaimSearch, CLUE, NICB ForeWarn, PMP / prescription monitoring, and medical canvass. Covers prior injury, pre-existing conditions, and apportionment. HIPAA authorization managed end-to-end.Suspicious & Disputed Claim Investigation
Late-reported, Monday-morning, post-termination, and unwitnessed claims. Scoped to support compensability determination and, where warranted, fraud referral.
The AOE/COE Questions That Drive Claims
Most AOE/COE fights come down to a short list of recurring doctrines and affirmative defenses. Investigating the right facts, in the right order, and documenting them correctly is the difference between a compensability call that holds up and one that gets reversed on appeal.
Key Doctrines We Investigate
Going and Coming Rule
Commute injuries are generally not compensable. But three exceptions frequently apply: special mission, commercial traveler, and employer-provided transport. Each requires investigation.Personal Comfort & Parking Lot
Break, restroom, meal, and parking-lot injuries often fall within the course of employment. Location, employer control, and the claimant's activity at the time determine the outcome.Defenses: Intoxication, Horseplay, Willful Misconduct
These defenses can defeat compensability. But they only hold up when the investigation shows the conduct caused the injury, not just that it occurred.Telecommuting & Work-From-Home
Remote-work injuries create compensability questions that older case law never addressed. We investigate the home-office setup, what the claimant was doing at the time of injury, and the extent of employer control.
Carriers, TPAs, Employers, Counsel
Carriers & SIUs
AOE/COE determinations, recorded statements, and scene investigations inside California's 90-day window and equivalent good-faith requirements across the western states.TPAs & Self-Insured Employers
TPAs and self-insured employers use us for independent compensability investigations. We're especially useful on claims with fraud indicators or apportionment disputes.Workers' Comp Defense Counsel
Investigation work product prepared for deposition, trial, and appeals. Includes IME/DME coordination, medical canvass, and witness preservation.
Why Encyphir?
- Rapid intake inside the 90-day window
- HIPAA-authorized medical and prior-claim records
- Licensed investigators nationwide
- Recorded statement audio, transcript, and sworn report
Request a Free Consultation
Fill out the form and we'll reach out via your preferred contact method within 24 hours.
- Licensed & insured investigators
- All inquiries are strictly confidential
- No obligation - just answers
- Available for emergency consultations
For emergency or expedited services,
please call us directly:
(888) 965-5150
AOE/COE & Workers' Comp Resources
- AOE/COE Explained: Arising Out of and Course of Employment
- The AOE/COE Investigation Process, Step by Step
- Going and Coming, Special Mission, and Other AOE/COE Doctrines
- AOE/COE Defenses: Intoxication, Horseplay, and Willful Misconduct
- Red Flags on Workers' Comp Claims
- California's 90-Day Rule and Good-Faith Investigation
Other Services
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an AOE/COE investigation in workers' compensation?
An AOE/COE investigation determines compensability: whether an injury arose out of employment and occurred in the course of employment. We run the full analysis from intake through a written determination report, built to California Labor Code 3600 and 3208 standards, with cross-jurisdictional coverage for multi-state carriers.
Why does the 90-day investigation window matter?
California gives carriers a 90-day window to make a good-faith compensability decision, and comparable good-faith requirements apply in other jurisdictions, so a slow start on a disputed claim is costly. We are built for rapid intake inside that window, and most cases can start within 24 to 48 hours.
What does a compensability investigation include?
It includes recorded statements taken in compliance with one- and two-party consent rules, on-site scene investigation and reconstruction, witness locate and interviews, and prior claims and medical history research through ISO ClaimSearch, CLUE, NICB ForeWarn, and medical canvass. HIPAA authorization is managed end to end.
Which workers' comp claims most often justify an AOE/COE referral?
Late-reported, Monday-morning, post-termination, and unwitnessed claims are the classic candidates. So are claims that turn on recurring doctrines and defenses: the going and coming rule, personal comfort and parking-lot injuries, intoxication, horseplay, and willful misconduct defenses, and telecommuting injuries where employer control is in question.
Can your investigation be used at the Appeals Board or trial?
Yes. Reports are ready for adjuster decision, Appeals Board review, and defense counsel use, and work product is prepared for deposition, trial, and appeals. Deliverables include recorded statement audio, transcripts, sworn reports, and court-ready scene and witness evidence with chain-of-custody documentation.
Disputed Claim on the Desk?
Don't run out the 90-day clock. Send us the referral and we'll build the compensability record you need: statements, scene, witnesses, and prior-claims history. Your adjuster and counsel get a report they can act on.