A North Carolina workers’ compensation dispute may produce an administrative order, a medical-motion ruling, a Deputy Commissioner Opinion and Award, a Full Commission decision, or another document with its own review path. Before acting, identify the issuing body, document title, entry and notice dates, parties, issues decided, and current rule.

A request for Full Commission review, a Form 44, a motion directed to the Deputy Commissioner, and an appeal to the Court of Appeals are different procedural steps with different triggering documents and deadlines.

Identify the decision and notice record

  • Industrial Commission file number, employee, employer, carrier or administrator, counsel, issuing official, document title, signature date, file date, and page count
  • Email, portal notice, mail envelope, delivery record, recipient, address used, notice date, receipt date, attachments, and any corrected notice
  • Claims, defenses, medical issues, wage issues, benefit periods, findings, conclusions, award, denial, costs, fees, sanctions, and unresolved matters indexed by page
  • Final decision, interlocutory order, administrative ruling, consent order, or another disposition left for procedural review rather than assumed from its caption

Read the Full Commission review statute

G.S. 97-85 provides for Full Commission review when application is made within 15 days from the date notice of the award was given. The statute also describes the Commission’s review authority. Record the exact notice event and obtain current procedural guidance; do not calculate a deadline from the hearing date or publication date alone.

Keep motions and the review request distinct

The Commission’s current rules page links the operative Industrial Commission rules. The current rule text should be checked for a motion to reconsider or amend, a letter requesting review, transfer of jurisdiction, transcript preparation, extensions, briefs, service, oral argument, additional evidence, and electronic filing. Preserve each filing and response separately.

  • Motion, response, ruling, review letter, filing confirmation, certificate of service, acknowledgment, transcript notice, transcript, exhibits, correction request, Form 44, and brief
  • Ground asserted, decision page, transcript or exhibit reference, legal source, requested action, opposing response, and Commission disposition
  • Original transcript and exhibits kept intact while a citation index or working copy is created separately
  • Every extension request, consent, order, revised due date, rejected filing, corrected filing, and service record retained

Use Form 44 for the grounds actually asserted

The Commission’s current Form 44 Application for Review provides spaces for specified grounds and states that grounds not specifically set out are waived and abandoned except as otherwise provided by law and Commission rules. The form should be matched to the acknowledgment, transcript, record, current rules, and issues actually preserved.

Do not merge Full Commission and appellate-court review

G.S. 97-86 addresses appeal from a Full Commission award to the North Carolina Court of Appeals for errors of law and supplies a separate timing rule. A party should not use a Court of Appeals deadline or filing as a substitute for requesting Full Commission review of a Deputy Commissioner decision.

The related guide to Forms 33 and 33R in a workers’ compensation case explains the hearing request and response that may precede a Deputy Commissioner decision. For a later Full Commission review, keep the award, notice, review request, Form 44, transcript, orders and filing confirmations in one dated record.

Rosensteel Fleishman Car Accident & Injury Lawyers provides general information about consulting a North Carolina workers’ compensation lawyer concerning an appeal record. The correct path and deadline depend on the actual decision, notice, current rules, orders, and case posture.

Sources