When employees travel abroad for work, you must consider whether they are covered under your workers’ compensation policies. Your broker should be able to help you with this issue.
To start, review the following:
Policy Territory – To see if the territory they are traveling to is covered under your policy. The employees need to be covered in all countries they are traveling to or doing business in.
Named Insured – Make sure all subsidiaries including those outside the U.S. are covered. Include any operations outside the U.S. if employees from those operations are working inside the U.S. Or, perhaps consider assigning those employees to a U.S. operation if they will be in the U.S. longer than a few days.
Voluntary Workers’ Comp- If employees are outside the U.S. for more than 30 days, you may need to add voluntary worker’s comp coverage to your policy. If outside the U.S. for more than 30 days they may be considered on permanent assignment instead of temporary assignment, so check your policy carefully. You may need an endorsement to cover those employees.
Payroll Reporting – You should separate employees on overseas assignment when reporting payroll to your carrier because it may be rated differently.
These are only a few of the many considerations to keep in mind when reviewing your employees based in another country or traveling to another country. Make sure to check with your insurance broker to make sure you are properly covered.
For more cost savings tips go to WC Cost Reduction Tips.
Show the REAL cost of workers comp with the Real Cost Calculator.
Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws are different. Consult with your corporate legal counsel before implementing any cost containment programs.
©2008 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com
We tend to think of workers’ compensation cost containment programs as an endeavor best left to the employer, and while the employer must design the program, the employee has a role also.
Employees must participate in the program as follows:
1- Know what to do if they are injured on the job
2- Sign an acknowledgement of these responsibilities
3- Seek medical care from the employers medical provider (or their own primary treating physician if allowed by law)
4- Keep the employer informed and updated of their condition/status
5- Complete forms required by the employer truthfully.
6- Attend weekly meetings to keep the employer informed of their condition and any obstacles to return to work full duty
7- Participate in transitional duty (this must be a condition of employment).
8- Attend all medical and rehabilitation appointments.
9- Return to work in either transitional duty or full duty as soon as medically able.
10- Other tasks as required by the employer and allowable by law such. Each state is different.
For more cost savings tips go to WC Cost Reduction Tips.
Show the REAL cost of workers comp with the Real Cost Calculator.
Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws are different. Consult with your corporate legal counsel before implementing any cost containment programs.�
©2008 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com
It is critically important that management makes return-to-work programs part of the corporate culture. The employee's expectations should be that if/when they go out on workers' compensation, they will return to work immediately in some form of transitional work capacity. What are a few of the tools that can be used to make return to work part of the culture? 1- Talk about RTW in a positive way – never badmouth the jobs, the participants or the concept. 2- Make RTW a positive experience by finding productive tasks or jobs. Never have transitional duty jobs be punitive. 3- Demonstrate the cost of NOT doing it, and the savings OF doing it by showing it to employees in terms they understand and management in terms understood by executives. Show the REAL cost of workers comp with the Real Cost Calculator. 4- Incorporate RTW in all policies and procedures such as Medical Policy and/or Leave of Absence Policy, Wellness Policy. 5- Make it a mandatory requirement of employment – so all employees expect to be treated in a similar fair manner. 6- Hold weekly meetings to discuss obstacles to return to work – keeps employees "connected" and employers stay on top of the worker's abilities. 7 – Send Get Well Cards for colleagues that are injured. Perhaps include a gift card to Papaginos's or a local restaurant or one that delivers with the card. 8- Maintain the rules strictly and make them standardized. 9- Show supervisors the cost savings and benefits (they have less retraining, for example). 10 – Don't hesitate to use vendors like www.PreCareInc.com that do on-site work hardening and RTW coaching. 11 – Include them in workplace activities while they are recovering. Don't forget to include them in meetings, events while they are injured. Once they are out of work they can easily become alienated and lose social contacts, so continue to include them in workplace activities even if they are doing a partial schedule while they work toward full duty. These are just a few ways to make RTW part of your corporate culture. Start now, and take small steps. Stick with the program and gradually it will be accepted. For more cost savings tips go to WC Cost Reduction Tips. Show the REAL cost of workers comp with the Real Cost Calculator. Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws are different. Consult with your corporate legal counsel before implementing any cost containment programs. ©2008 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com
Seven Reasons Workers’ Compensation Costs are So High is now available in Spanish: Siete Razones Mayores Por La Que Costos De Compensacion Laboral Son Tan Altos
Some of our materials have been translated into Spanish and we will have articles available from time to time also. All materials are available for translation for a fee (we have a translator.) Turn-around time is approximately one week. Spanish articles are helpful if you or your location management is helping roll out a WC program and Spanish is the preferred language. Click here if you want to read 7 Reasons WC Costs are High: Spanish Article
For cost savings tips go to WC Cost Reduction Tips.
Show REAL cost of workers comp with the Real Cost Calculator.
Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws are different. Consult with your corporate legal counsel before implementing any cost containment programs.
©2008 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com
There are several considerations about when to settle a claim, however, I usually suggest settling a claim as soon as you know the employee has reached MMI and they can never return to work at your workplace. MMI means "maximum medical improvement"; this means the employee will never recover more than they are right now. Once you KNOW the worker will not get any better and will never be able to return to work for you, you should close the claim. HOWEVER, I've seen many insurance companies push for claim closure too early. There's a big difference between an employee that CAN'T return to work and and employee that WON'T return to work. For example, a female worker with a college education who is the mother of two young children may prefer to NOT to return to work so she can remain home with the children, participating in their lives and saving hundreds of dollars a week on commuting, dry cleaning, work clothing and childcare. It takes a lot to prove to me that a claim should be settled for any large amount. I want proof (a lot of it) that the employee will never be able to return to work. Set a high standard. The claimant should receive every benefit they are entitled to such as scarring awards, but when considering paying huge lump sum settlements and funding medicare set asides, ask for a very high level or proof in disability. However, if the insurance company is trying to settle a claim for $100,000. I require two things: 1- A medical advisor retained by my company must review the file and substantiate the medical evidence, 2- A sub rosa investigation done over a period of time must verify that the worker is unable to work; it must substantiate the inability. In other words, if a worker says they cannot sit, stand, drive, etc, I want that verified by a private investigator with a video camera. I'd rather keep paying indemnity (lost wages) while the employee recovers slowly, during which time I will offer them transitional duty (any kind of productive project) because eventually they'll recover enough to do some type of productive employment. Even the most extreme cases can do some type of employement such as home-based employment. I also use www.CatalystRTW.com for home-based job placement if, for example, the job-site has closed down or the nature of the injury makes it impossible for the worker to return to the workplace (incontinence, etc.). There are many other times to settle or not settle a claim. Sign up for the RSS Feed to make sue you don't miss this important information. For more information about how to integrate your TPA go to Working with Your Insurance Company. Important Note! You must coordinate the closure and settlement of your workers' comp claims with your legal counsel to make sure you have considering all ADA, FMLA, COBRA or other legal requirements. For more cost savings tips go to WC Cost Reduction Tips. Show the REAL cost of workers comp with the Real Cost Calculator. Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws are different. Consult with your corporate legal counsel before implementing any cost containment programs. ©2008 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com
When you get your National Workers’ Compensation Scoreâ„¢, the results indicate best practice proficiency:
Score 1 – 28 Welcome aboard!
Your score indicates you are just getting started and are new to workers’ comp cost containment. Do not try to do everything at once, and do not be discouraged! It CAN look overwhelming but take it one step at a time. My favorite saying is: “Don’t eat elephant in one bite!” Getting your score is the first step to building a cost-saving program for your company.
Next Step: Put 1 – 4 Recommendations on your Timetable. Pick the easiest to implement. Don’t be afraid to ask your team for help.
Score 29 – 60 Let’s get started!
Your workers’ comp cost containment program is started, now you can build up what you have and implement some new procedures and practices. Next Step: Prioritize the recommendations. Put 4 -7 recommendations on the Timetable.
Score 61 – 82 Push a little harder!
You have already made a lot of progress setting up your cost containment program, now it can be fine tuned to build a solid, effective program. Next Step: Prioritize the recommendations and select as many as you can handle on the Timetable.
Score 83 – 100+ Great Job!
You have an excellent program in place and it is probably already part of your corporate culture. You can move quickly to Best-In-Class with very few changes. Next Step: Tackle all of the recommendations (there won’t be many) and put them all on your Timetable.
For more information about your score, go to National WC Scoreâ„¢ Take the NWCS 6 months after initial implementation, or as frequently as you want to see your score increasing. It’s a great way to motivate the team, to show the Score Tracker going up constantly.
For more cost savings tips go to WC Cost Reduction Tips.
Show the REAL cost of workers comp with the Real Cost Calculator.
Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws are different. Consult with your corporate legal counsel before implementing any cost containment programs.
©2008 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com
Consider the environment when designing workers comp messages! Have you ever seen materials mis-matched with environments? For example, a potentially dangerous piece of kitchen equipment like gas fryolators or slicers with only paper instruction manuals which quickly disintegrate or get lost? Determine environment when developing communication materials. For example, is it a school bus, an airport, a restaurant where fried chicken is cooked, a stadium where popcorn & beer is delivered up/down steep steps, or in an office. The delivery of information must take into consideration the location where the communication is occurring. A laminated auto visor packet might be good in a school bus, and because of the potential for dirt or moisture in an environment, maybe "plastic paper" would be better than paper. Possible delivery systems to consider: posters, wallet cards, lanyards, zippered 3-ring mobile folders, sticker labels on telephones or dispatch areas, etc. Will it be used in one place or many? Perhaps a tool kit for supervisors who are not stationed in one location but who monitor multiple locations/departments and are on the go, should be a zippered 3-ring binder or closed, portable box rather than an open binder. Walk through several office supply stores to get ideas. View the environment where the communication tool kit will be used. Have a telephone label ON the telephone so when a claim is called in or a medical provider is contacted, the number is EASILY accessible to those making the phone calls. When we want to make a sale, we are very creative — often conveying our sales messages on magnets, pens and coffee mugs, so why not consider these options if you are rolling out a new program? Think outside the box. For more cost savings tips go to WC Cost Reduction Tips. Show the REAL cost of workers comp with the Real Cost Calculator. Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws are different. Consult with your corporate legal counsel before implementing any cost containment programs. ©2008 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com
Let's go over a fundamental concept of communication… Think of it like this: You can GET information or GIVE information. When designing your communication strategy your first consideration is whether you are GETTING or GIVING information. For example, when you provide information to employees so they know the basics of their workers' compensation benefits, you are GIVING them information so you might use a brochure. When you are gathering information about how the injury occurred, you are GETTING information and you might use a form. So, when developing your workers compensation pieces, consider what the purpose of the communication is before writing the message. This provides you with the proper structure — brochure or questionnaire, presentation or form, etc. When you are developing a workers' compensation cost (workersxzcompxzkit) containment program, you will both "GET" and "GIVE information. Communication is the name of the game! Click on these links to try it for yourself. WC Calculator: www.ReduceYourWorkersComp.com/calculator.php TD Calculator: www.ReduceYourWorkersComp.com/transitional-duty-cost-calculator.php WC 101: www.ReduceYourWorkersComp.com/workers_comp.php Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws are different. Consult with your corporate legal counsel before implementing any cost containment programs. ©2008 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com
Vendor Day is a concept I invented 10 years ago because I saw numerous instances of when companies did not know the services their TPA’s offered. For example, a client was unhappy with their TPA because they felt the nurse case management was too expensive, yet they had not been to the claims offices to see how integrated and valuable the nurse case management services were.
It is important to know the full array of your TPA services, how they charge for those services and see samples of the “deliverables” (the products). I use the terms TPA and claims administrator interchangeably. If you need more information about these two services go to WC 101.
Have your TPA explain each and every service they offer.
- Show you and example of the service. If it’s a medical bill audit, have them show you an example of how those bills are audited and what documentation you will recieve. Or, tour the medical bill audit dept. for a much better understanding of the process.
- Find out the different options for payment. E.G. by percentage of savings or per line.
For example, these are some of the services TPAs have:
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Employee Communication Brochures (English & Spanish)
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Medical Bill ReviewHospital Bill Review
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Pharmacy Bill Review
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Field-based Nurse Case Managers
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Physician Consultants/Advisors
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Peer Review
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Durable Medical Goods such as wheelchairs, crutches and TENS units
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Return to Work Services
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Work Hardening Centers
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Catastrophic Case Managers
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Transportation Services
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Translation Services
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Investigators
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Legal Services
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Structured Settlement Firms — for MSAs and Settlements
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Loss Control Services
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Training Tapes and Video Library
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Risk Management Information Systems
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Subrogation & Recovery Services
In order to ASK for something, you must know it exists. For example, one client with multiple locations had a poor reporting rate — only a few of their claims were being reported timely. But it had been several years since the carrier had sent new reporting kits so we had the carrier do another “national roll-out.” The client couldn’t possibly ask for a “national roll-out” if they don’t know that exists, can they?
AIG does a super job at national rollouts. They have “PICs” (pre-injury coordinators) — cost containment experts that visit each facility and explain the fundamentals of cost containment, return to work programs, etc. However, if you don’t know what the PIC program is, you can’t possibly ask for the service.
If you would like a Sample Agenda for a Vendor Day. Send me an email to Becki@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com and I’ll be happy to send you one the next day!
For more ideas on how to integrate services with your TPA, click here: Cost Containment Ideas
Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws are different. Consult with your corporate legal counsel before implementing any cost containment programs. ©2008 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com
"What should I do if the adjuster doesn't return your call or reply to your emails?" This is a common issue for adjusters with a high case load. Here are a few suggestions: 1- Discuss the issue with the adjuster – It's best to start by simply asking the adjuster why they have not been responding. It may be a simple issue that can be fixed easily. Hopefully, you will bring this to their attention – that you appreciate a reply – and they will make that a priority in the future. If the adjuster continues to be unresponsive, however, make sure to take notes of when you have left messages and sent emails and when the adjuster has responded. As a general rule, once it's to the stage that you are keeping notes, it's time to bring it to the attention of your broker. 2- Discuss the issue with the broker and/or claims consultant - If the situation is not fixed by discussing it with the adjuster, you will need to escalate it to getting your account executive or claims consultant involved. Don't wait very long to do this. Certainly one missed email is not enough to raise it to the next level, but 5 or 6 would be enough. Any time there is a pattern of not returning phone calls, this should be brought to the broker's attention. 3- Keep your Account Executive at the broker in the loop – You should have a relationship with your broker or the claims consultant (employed by the broker) — either or both, depending on your needs. Make sure you copy him/her on all correspondence. Initially, you can "blind copy" them during the stage in which you are trying to work out the situation one-on-one with the adjuster. If the problem continues, copy the broker or claims consultant. Sometimes when the adjuster sees that another party has been copied on the emails will be enough for them to begin replying. 4- The Claims Consultant will take action -Almost always, the claims consultant will contact the adjuster's supervisor to attempt to get to the bottom of the problem Let the claims consultant be the "bad guy" while you try to stay above the fray. The claims consultant will attempt to determine the problem. Perhaps the adjuster has too many claims for their experience level, not enough support staff, an illness that's keeping him/her out of work and no replacement while out of work. When an adjuster is out of work and doesn't have a replacement, they may have returned to 300-400 emails or more. In most situations, emails "roll" to staff that is covering in the absence of the adjuster. The claims consultant may ask that a temporary adjuster be hired to assist the regular adjusters. He/She may schedule an audit to determine whether the unresponsiveness is leading to other problems with claims handling. 5- If the situation is not resolved, a meeting between the parties will be necessary - All parties will be involved and the goal is to develop a way to resolve the problem, a timetable to do so and options if the situation is not corrected. For more cost savings tips go to WC Cost Reduction Tips. Show the REAL cost of workers comp with the Real Cost Calculator. Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws are different. Consult with your corporate legal counsel before implementing any cost containment programs. ©2008 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com
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