When faced with Worker’s Compensation Board (WCB) performance, the question always arises: how can I improve my performance?
There are always opportunities for companies in all industry sectors to improve their WCB performance by using sound claims-management practices.
What are these practices?
Active Participation
An employer can actively participate in all claim dealings, including but not limited to:
- Overseeing return-to-work processes
- Challenging worker’s entitlement
This will allow an employer to stay involved and manage their WCB costs.
Seeking Cost Relief
Cost relief is available if the injured worker has a pre-existing condition that caused or contributed to the current workplace accident or that prolonged the recovery time. The employer must make the request to WCB to review the claim for this relief and, if the WCB agrees, they will remove/transfer a percentage of the claim costs.
Requesting Medical Information
Objective medical evidence should be present to support a worker’s entitlement for WCB coverage. Medical notes that state “unable to work for four weeks” are inadequate and employers are not required to accept such notes to support a continued leave of absence. The employer would benefit from actively seeking objective information about the workplace related injury/illness.
This includes:
- The worker’s limitations and restrictions
- Any noted side effects from medications
- Their capacity to return to work
- Their recovery prognosis
Offering Return-to-Work Options
If suitably modified work is not available to a worker, the employer’s experience and frequency rating will be affected. Therefore, an employer should review the objective medical documentation and determine if there are other suitable and gainful jobs/duties within their organization that take into account the worker’s functional abilities. A worker’s WCB loss of earnings can be impacted if the worker does not accept an offer of modified duties.
Managing your WCB claims more effectively and bringing your employees back to the workplace in a safe and timely manner will result in a significant cost savings to your organization.
If these steps appear difficult for your organization to manage contact DMI’s Injury Management Service. DMI directly assists employers with effectively managing their WCB risks, assessing current WCB performance, and providing assistance to help reduce the duration, frequency, and the cost of claims.
