How long can an insurer pay compensation benefits without accepting liability (pay without prejudice or PWOP)?

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Multiple Choice

How long can an insurer pay compensation benefits without accepting liability (pay without prejudice or PWOP)?

Paying benefits without prejudice is a way for an insurer to support a worker with medical and disability payments while they continue to investigate and decide on liability, without admitting the claim is compensable. In Rhode Island, the maximum period for these PWOP payments is thirteen weeks. This window gives time to gather medical evidence and determine whether the injury is work-related and covered under the law, while still preserving the insurer’s ability to contest liability if needed. After thirteen weeks, the insurer should have made a liability determination or otherwise address the claim through a formal denial or acceptance; continuing PWOP beyond that limit is not the standard practice.

Paying benefits without prejudice is a way for an insurer to support a worker with medical and disability payments while they continue to investigate and decide on liability, without admitting the claim is compensable. In Rhode Island, the maximum period for these PWOP payments is thirteen weeks. This window gives time to gather medical evidence and determine whether the injury is work-related and covered under the law, while still preserving the insurer’s ability to contest liability if needed. After thirteen weeks, the insurer should have made a liability determination or otherwise address the claim through a formal denial or acceptance; continuing PWOP beyond that limit is not the standard practice.

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