What is a Stipulation Status Conference?

If you have sustained a Minnesota Workers’ Compensation injury and have a pending case, then you may have received notice of a Stipulation Status Conference. A Stipulation Status Conference is an informal conference scheduled by the Minnesota Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) to determine or confirm the status of a pending workers’ compensation dispute. Once the OAH has been notified that a workers’ compensation case has settled, the case is scheduled for a Stipulation Status Conference several weeks later. This is a relatively new program instituted by the Honorable Raymond Krause, and it was created to ensure that a Stipulation for Settlement is filed with the Court in a timely manner. Prior to this program, cases would take months to work their way through the system and award final resolution.

What is the Purpose of a Stipulation Status Conference?

Many clients are surprised to learn that there are numerous issues that have to be resolved after a tentative settlement has been reached in their workers’ compensation case. For example, even after a settlement has been reached the parties still have to negotiate with any medical providers, or interveners, to resolve their outstanding medical bills. If there are numerous medical providers, it can take additional time to resolve all of the outstanding medical expenses. Additionally, it can take time to procure additional documentation or information before a settlement can be finalized. In these instances, if a settlement takes longer than anticipated to finalize, the purpose of the Stipulation Status Conference is to ensure that the parties are moving forward and to offer the assistance of the Court in resolving the outstanding matters.