Injury Claims: Community Colleges and UC Riverside

Riverside County's public community colleges belong to four districts: Riverside Community College District, Mt. San Jacinto Community College District, Desert Community College District (College of the Desert) and Palo Verde Community College District. Each is a public entity, so an injury claim against one generally follows the Government Claims Act and its six-month deadline (Gov. Code § 911.2). UC Riverside is different: it is part of the University of California, governed by The Regents, and the claim presentation rules of the Government Claims Act do not apply to claims against The Regents (Gov. Code § 905.6). UCR still has its own reporting process, shown below.

Verified filing details

Riverside Community College District

Colleges	Moreno Valley College, Norco College and Riverside City College. [source]
Filing office	Risk Management manages claims filed against the District, including general liability claims. [source]
How to file	Submit the District's Claim for Damages Form to the District Office, 3801 Market Street, Riverside, CA 92501. [source]
Form link	Claim for Damages form (PDF): official link [source]
Email	Student insurance claims: send a copy of the completed Student Insurance Claim Form to Risk@rccd.edu. [source]
Deadline	The claim form warns that most claims against a public entity must be presented within six months of the incident. [source]
Also note	Claims not submitted on the District's form are returned and may be resubmitted on the proper form. [source]
Student accident insurance	Student accident insurance covers students injured during school activities, including physical education classes, club sports, career and technical education programs, the commute between classes, and intercollegiate sports. [source]

Mt. San Jacinto Community College District

Filing office	The Office of Risk Management handles claims involving bodily injury, property damage, automobile and other losses. [source]
Address	San Jacinto Campus: 1499 N. State Street, San Jacinto, CA 92583. [source]
Phone	Risk Management: 951-801-4413, RiskManagement@msjc.edu. [source]
Student accident insurance	The district provides secondary accident insurance for students, student athletes and children enrolled in its Child Development Education Center. [source]

Desert Community College District (College of the Desert)

Filing office	Claims are served on the Office of the Superintendent/President (Board Policy 3810). [source]
Address	College of the Desert, 43-500 Monterey Ave, Palm Desert, CA 92260; 760.346.8041. [source]
Also note	Board Policy 3810 requires claims to be presented under the Government Claims Act before a lawsuit can be filed against the District. [source]

Palo Verde Community College District (Palo Verde College)

Filing office	Claims go to the Office of the Superintendent/President on the appropriate form; claim forms are available from the Business Services Office. [source]
Address	Palo Verde College, One College Drive, Blythe, CA 92225; (760) 921-5500. [source]
After you file	If the Board of Trustees takes no action, the claim is rejected by operation of law on the 45th day after it was presented. [source]
Also note	A claim not submitted on the appropriate form will be returned. [source]

University of California, Riverside (The Regents of the University of California)

Filing office	Third-party claims against the University are handled by its Third Party Claims Administrator, Sedgwick. [source]
How to file	To make a claim against the University for bodily injury or property damage, complete UCR's Online Incident Report (official link) or call the University Claim Hotline at (800) 416-4029. [source]
Address	Lawsuits against The Regents are served on the Office of the General Counsel, University of California Office of the President, 1111 Franklin St., 8th Floor, Oakland, CA 94607. [source]
Deadline	For a crash with a University vehicle, UCR asks that the Online Incident Report be submitted within 24 hours of the accident. [source]
After you file	A Sedgwick claims adjuster asks for relevant information, such as notes, photos and medical bills, and then a decision is made about the University's liability. [source]
Also note	UCR states that The Regents are exempt from the Government Claims Act claim-filing provisions under Government Code section 905.6. [source]

Student accident insurance is not the same as a claim

Some districts carry accident insurance that can pay medical costs for students hurt in covered activities, whether or not anyone was at fault. Using it does not replace a Government Claims Act claim if the injury was caused by a dangerous condition or an employee's conduct, and the six-month claim deadline keeps running while an insurance claim is processed.

Deadlines for UC Riverside

Because the Government Claims Act presentation rules do not apply to The Regents, the claim steps above are UCR's own process. Lawsuit deadlines still apply; most injury lawsuits must be filed within two years (CCP § 335.1). Confirm the deadline for your situation early.

Common campus situations

Falls on broken walkways, stairs or in parking structures (see campus injuries)
Injuries in physical education, labs or intercollegiate sports
Crashes involving a college or university vehicle
Visitors hurt at events on campus

Every fact on this page links to the official source it came from. We checked each one in September 2026. Agencies change fees and procedures, so confirm with the agency before you go. How we research.

Injury claims against community colleges and UC Riverside