Nine Useful Tips
1. To really get a grip on managing your company’s workers’ compensation costs, division of labor is critical. Most importantly, the division of labor must be specific and have at least the appearance of permanence.
2. Giving a regular, trusted manager an additional title or responsibility will only be an asset to her resume. In some cases a position will need to be created.
3. “Floating” responsibilities or merely suggesting them to employees only guarantees you miscommunication and confusion at a time when you want neither.
4. Primary injury responsibilities fall under the heading of “injury coordinator.” If your company is large enough, you will want to include supervisors, mid-management, and legal and medical positions.
5. Naturally, some of these posts require job-specific training on matters of workers’ compensation. Some require additional professional certification.
6. It cannot be underestimated how much the strength of these precautions can save a company in the event of catastrophic accidents.
7. Unrelated employees may also be included in the structure as they, too, may have responsibilities and roles to perform in the event of a work-related incident. Each person should feel like a member of a team to aid in thorough and rapid documentation – not to mention first aid.
8. As a general rule of thumb good managers occasionally praise employees for accepting additional responsibilities. A feeling of pride and leadership are never mistakes in a well-run company. (workersxzcompxzkit).
9. Workplace injury roles and responsibilities discussed here are broad enough to apply to virtually every type of business, but they can also be customized and integrated in order to dovetail with your specific company’s way of doing business.
Author: Robert Elliott, J.D.
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WC Best Practices Quick Check: http://www.workerscompkit.com/intro/
Follow Us On Twitter: www.twitter.com/WorkersCompKit
Do not use this information without independent verification.
All state laws vary.
©2008 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact IInfo@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com
Mid-sized companies may have an intermediate management layer reporting to senior management while being responsible for one or more divisions or operating units.
A middle manager may be the general manager of a location, or a group manager responsible for several locations.
Middle managers are responsible for compiling injury management project statistics from subordinate divisions and using them to forecast future successes and pitfalls. General or mid-management presents these figures to senior management.
Guidelines for the middle manager:
- Be knowledgeable about costs of workers’ compensation at their facility.
- Be able to discuss how much workers’ compensation “costs” in sales. (See TD Calculator and WC Calculator links below.)
- Be familiar with the basics of the workers’ compensation program.
- List the roles and responsibilities of employees, supervisors and providers.
- Identify the names and addresses of medical providers and clinics treating their employees.
- Obtain and disseminate monthly loss data for their division. This report captures problems and potential issues and brings them to management’s attention. Monthly loss data reports show management trends in the up and down swings of workers’ compensation costs so they can learn to identify problems before they become full blown.
- Track lost workdays (LWD) for your location and include in monthly reports to management. Half the cost of workers’ compensation is indemnity payments, so begin counting lost workdays.
In the event of the injury coordinator’s absence, middle managers should be prepared to step in to oversee workers’ compensation management activities. (workersxzcompxzkit).
Author: Robert Elliott, J.D.
Follow Us On Twitter: www.twitter.com/WorkersCompKit
View the Entire Blog: http://blog.reduceyourworkerscomp.com/
Do not use this information without independent verification.
All state laws vary.
©2008 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact IInfo@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com
Supervisors are the front-line reporters of work-related injuries and accidents and bear the primary responsibility for making sure employees perform post-injury response procedures in accordance with the employer’s workers’ compensation policies.
Ten Actions Supervisors Must Take
1. Make sure injured employees take a Work Ability Form (WAF) with them when they go to the medical provider.
2. Accompany injured employees to the medical provider.
3. Inform medical providers the WAF must be returned (by mail or fax) to the supervisor (or injury coordinator) within 24 hours of a work-related injury. If the supervisor has a problem retrieving the completed WAF from the medical provider within 24 hours, the issue should be referred to the injury coordinator for action.
4. Compile a Post-Injury Package consisting of completed WAF together with Witness, Supervisors, and Employee Reports of Incident and fax to injury coordinator.
5. Train employee subordinates in the basics of workers’ compensation benefits such as Rights and Responsibilities under the WCMP, Post-Injury Response, and Transitional Duty Program.
6. Demonstrate to employees how to obtain emergency medical care for injured employees.
7. Demonstrate to employees how to get non-emergency care for injured employees.
8. Describe what forms and documents to give to (and get from) an injured employee.
9. Participate in weekly meetings with the injury coordinator and injured employee.
10. Train employees in post-injury response roles and responsibilities. (workersxzcompxzkit).
Author: Robert Elliott, J.D.
Visit Our Websites:
Reduce Your Workers Comp: www.ReduceYourWorkersComp.com/
Workers Comp Kit: www:workerscompkit.com/
Try Our FREE�
WC Best Practices Quick Check: http://www.workerscompkit.com/intro/
See Our: Workers’ Compensation Toolkit: Corner.advisen.com/wc
Workers’ Comp Kit Books & Guides: Corner.advisen.com/wcbooks
More FREE tools to try:
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
Follow Us On Twitter: www.twitter.com/WorkersCompKit
View the Entire Blog: http://blog.reduceyourworkerscomp.com/
Do not use this information without independent verification.
All state laws vary.
©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’s been discovered of all services seen involving modifying behavior to process workers’ compensation claims efficiently, thus reducing costs, take place weeks, months and years AFTER the claim is under way as well as when an attorney is in the picture.
Without a doubt, this method is the most expensive and carries a low probability of actually achieving real change.
What is needed (and, surprise, currently under development) is a short-term, low cost service designed to train personnel of mid-sized employers on locating and reporting information of use to workers compensation, UI and discrimination claims. That is, train and support people on the spot to see to it the claim is immediately put on the right path, with the flexibility to add, subtract and modify as needed.
An Analogy:
If a person has the risk of falling off a pier into water you can:
1. Train them to tread water and swim to the ladder in two minutes, OR
2. Arrange for a rescue helicopter based 20 miles away to receive an alert from someone, assemble a team of rescue swimmers and paramedics and fly a medical rescue mission to the area. (workersxzcompxzkit)
Which is more effective? Which costs less? Which actually results in the swimmer being saved?
Author: Attorney Theodore Ronca is a practicing lawyer from Aquebogue, NY. He is a frequent writer and speaker, and has represented employers in the areas of workers’ compensation, Social Security disability, employee disability plans and subrogation for over 30 years. Attorney Ronca can be reached at 631-722-2100.
Visit Our Websites:
Reduce Your Workers Comp: www.ReduceYourWorkersComp.com/
Workers Comp Kit: www:workerscompkit.com/
Try Our FREE
WC Best Practices Quick Check: http://www.workerscompkit.com/intro/
See Our: Workers’ Compensation Toolkit: Corner.advisen.com/wc
Workers’ Comp Kit Books & Guides: Corner.advisen.com/wcbooks
More FREE tools to try:
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
Follow Us On Twitter: www.twitter.com/WorkersCompKit
View the Entire Blog: http://blog.reduceyourworkerscomp.com/
Do not use this information without independent verification.
All state laws vary.
©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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Although senior management generally does not actively participate in injury management projects, you need their approval and support to embark on an injury management program.
Senior management is most interested in the bottom line:
- What the program is costing the company.
- How much money the company saves on the outcome, such as in shorter duration of injuries and illnesses, a return-to-work/transitional duty program brings employees back to work more quickly, lower experience modifications, etc.
Following are some of the ways senior management can be expected to participate in an injury management program. Remember, the injury coordinator must compile and present the statistics senior management needs to make informed decisions. Once these numbers are compiled, senior management will be able to perform the tasks listed below.
- Determine the cost of workers’ compensation at their facilities.
- Explain the Sales Required to Pay for Accidents grid so management can grasp the concept of how much it costs in sales to pay for workers’ compensation.
- Recognize basic elements of the your company’s new injury management program and be able to ask the middle managers at least four questions about their program:
Ask for the number of injuries at the facility this month.
Ask how many employees are currently out of work.
Ask how many employees are currently on transitional duty.
Ask if there are any obstacles where senior management can be of assistance.
- Discuss injury management issues with middle managers as they occur at their respective facilities.
- Appoint staff to provide oversight and input to handle claims and guide the injury management implementation program. A dedicated staff may not always be necessary, but it is important to provide enough staff to closely monitor claims
- Encourage a positive approach suggesting a “CAN DO” attitude. Even a company with very few injuries benefits from implementing a system, by controlling the handling of claims and lawsuits
- Require the ”Reduction in Lost Workdays” as a key performance indicator of how well each division is achieving return-to-work goals. Use this indicator as a consideration in middle management’s bonus/payment process. Divisions with the best reduction in lost workday indicators would warrant the highest bonuses. (workersxzcompxzkit).
Author: Robert Elliott, J.D. Follow Us On Twitter: www.twitter.com/WorkersCompKit
Visit Our Websites:
Reduce Your Workers Comp: www.ReduceYourWorkersComp.com/
Workers Comp Kit: www:workerscompkit.com/
Try Our FREE
WC Best Practices Quick Check: http://www.workerscompkit.com/intro/
See Our: Workers’ Compensation Toolkit: Corner.advisen.com/wc
Workers’ Comp Kit Books & Guides: Corner.advisen.com/wcbooks
More FREE tools to try:
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
View the Entire Blog: http://blog.reduceyourworkerscomp.com/
Do not use this information without independent verification.
All state laws vary.
©2009 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 all know the time from moment of injury to final resolution can be lengthy. A competent business manages the process in an organized manner by monitoring all claims to ensure adjusters start working the claim as soon as it is reported.
Clearly define the role of your adjuster and injury coordinator to ensure a clear delineation between the roles. The injury coordinator provides input into overall “big picture” strategy on claims.
Adjusters determine compensability pursuant to state law on individual claims.
Seven Guidelines for Managing Ongoing Claims
1. Adjusters must contact the employee, the employer, and the doctor immediately after the work-related incident occurs.
2. Adjusters must ensure the employee receives medical treatment and medication.
3. Adjusters must notify injury coordinator if the employee misses medical appointments.
4. If the injury is questionable, adjusters must investigate the incident and immediately report to the employer.
5. Adjusters must assist in determining which transitional jobs best accommodate the physical limitations of injured employees.
6. Visit a claims’ handling office at least once a year to view claims handling and to develop a rapport with the adjuster. (workersxzcompxzkit)
7. Invite the adjuster to visit your facility to meet you, to learn job categories and physical demands of the jobs, and to observe or discuss transitional duty jobs.
Author: Robert Elliott, J.D.
Click on these links to try it for yourself.
Follow us on: www.Twitter.com/WorkersCompKit
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
1. To really get a grip on managing your company's workers' compensation costs, division of labor is critical. Most importantly, the division of labor must be specific and have at least the appearance of permanence. 2. Giving a regular, trusted manager an additional title or responsibility will only be an asset to her resume. In some cases a position will need to be created. 3. "Floating" responsibilities or merely suggesting them to employees only guarantees you miscommunication and confusion at a time when you want neither. 4. Primary injury responsibilities fall under the heading of "injury coordinator." If your company is large enough, you will want to include supervisors, mid-management, and legal and medical positions. 5. Naturally, some of these posts require job-specific training on matters of workers' compensation. Some require additional professional certification. 6. It cannot be underestimated how much the strength of these precautions (workersxzcompxzkit) can save a company in the event of catastrophic accidents. 7. Unrelated employees may also be included in the structure as they, too, may have responsibilities and roles to perform in the event of a work-related incident. Each person should feel like a member of a team to aid in thorough and rapid documentation – not to mention first aid. 8. As a general rule of thumb good managers occasionally praise employees for accepting additional responsibilities. A feeling of pride and leadership are never mistakes in a well-run company. 9. Workplace injury roles and responsibilities discussed here are broad enough to apply to virtually every type of business, but they can also be customized and integrated in order to dovetail with your specific company's way of doing business. Author: Robert Elliott, J.D. Sign up for the online newsletter at www.ReduceYourWorkersComp.com to become familiar with workers' compensation issues. Workers' Comp Kit® is a web-based online Assessment, Benchmarking and Cost Containment system for employers. It provides all the materials needed to reduce your costs significantly in 85% less time than if you designed a program from scratch. 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
MAXCO Story Part II
Design & Development
Each division takes responsibility for customization in accordance with applicable state law and
the manual’s forms and policies are designed as templates for customization by each division.
Basically, while the program requires monitoring and nurturing from the corporate office, it is designed to be implemented and run on an autonomous, on-going basis at each division. The best thing about the program is the employees (many unionized) are supportive of the program because they now receive the best quality care available and they receive it promptly.
A successful example is of one facility (workersxzcompxzkit) in an eastern state, where incurred losses were reduced 79 percent; medical costs were reduced approximately 50 percent; and 90 percent of injured employees returned to work within 10 days.
Another MaxCo division on the west coast reduced incurred losses 84 percent in only one year. After deciding on the importance of putting together an effective cost cutting workers’ compensation plan, Maxco began by following these steps.
Steps in a Well-Designed Plan
Hiring Qualified Employees
The purpose of pre-employment screening is to ensure an applicant is physically and mentally capable of performing the functions of the job applied for and to ensure each employee is suitable for employment at the division. Several methods for screening employees include:
- Pre-employment medical evaluations by division doctors
- Use of detailed employment application forms
- Background checks
- Credential verifications
- Motor vehicle record checks
- Drug screening (at discretion of division)
- Prior workers’ compensation claims check
Author: Robert Elliott, J.D.
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
As has been discussed frequently, the key to effective cost management in workers’ compensation is developing and implementing an effective workers’ compensation program, covering every aspect of this very complicated issue.
Here is the second installment of a mini-preview of the manual’s contents. It contains additional elements you will place on your “to do” list to make sure you have written procedures for each of these areas.
1-Reporting a Claim -Report ALL losses using a “Reporting Procedure”
2-Post-Injury Response Procedure -Post-Injury Response Guidelines using the Post-Injury Response Worksheet
3-Directing Medical Care-
a-Working with and gaining cooperation of medical providers
b-Insight from diagnosis through understanding medical terms
4-Return to Work (RTW)
a-Transitional Duty Policy Overview
b-Coordinating WC with Federal and State Leave Statues
Make your worksheet and begin developing a more detailed (workersxzcompxzkit) view of the manual’s contents and information on how to order your copy of “How to Manage Your Workers’ Compensation Program & Reduce Costs 20-50%.”
Try the WC Cost Calculator www.ReduceYourWorkersComp.com/calculator.php
Look at WC 101 www.ReduceYourWorkersComp.com/workers-comp.php
Workers’ Comp Kit® is a web-based online Assessment, Benchmarking and Cost Containment system for employers. It provides all the materials needed to reduce your costs significantly in 85% less time than if you designed a program from scratch.
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 Returning Employees to Work
Remember: It’s All Attitude
Dissatisfied Employees
The active-dissatisfied employee who is really unhappy with his/her situation will actively attempt to take advantage of the system. The proper response in attempting to return this person to work is much more drastic and severe and may include active investigation into their situation and fraud control programs may be necessary.
The passive-dissatisfied employee may malinger to stay out longer than medically necessary. While such workers may not willfully concoct schemes, they will quietly take advantage of a situation when opportunity arises – called “opportunistic fraud.” Fraud control tip lines often expose passive-dissatisfied workers. Constant interaction is recommended between physicians with follow-up examinations to avoid communication breakdown or further delays in returning to work.
For most employers problems often arise because when they do not think of employees in these four categories. Instead programs are developed (workersxzcompxzkit) addressing only one or two types of employees. Implementing such a limited response often has a detrimental effect on employer/employee relations. For instance, when an employer uses the response for a dissatisfied-active worker on a satisfied-active worker, new problems arise.
Likewise, hiring an investigator to follow a worker who is satisfied and eager to return to work simply angers the previously content worker, causing the worker, in turn, to become somewhat unwilling to return to work so quickly or at all. Therefore, it’s highly recommend employers adhere to the four-quadrant Employee Attitude Axis.
Author: Robert Elliott, J.D.
Try the WC Cost Calculator to show the REAL COST of work comp.
Look at WC 101 for the basics about workers comp.
Workers’ Comp Kit® is a web-based online Assessment, Benchmarking and Cost Containment system for employers. It provides all the materials needed to reduce your costs significantly in 85% less time than if you designed a program from scratch.
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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