5 TIPS to Follow When Launching Your Workers' Comp Program

1.  Why You Need a Facilitator's Guide 
Many companies ask why workers' compensation is a problem and why costs are so high. Simply put, it is because there are too many claims lasting too long. For years, employers have assumed there is nothing they can do to prevent rising costs.

Many employers believe they have no choice but to continue paying higher premiums and long-term medical expenses. They assume once an employee is out of work on workers' compensation there is nothing they can do to bring the employee back to work.

Employers can however, implement in-house programs, policies, and procedures designed to bring employees in line and work together to reestablish control and lower costs.

Workers' compensation management or injury management (IM) includes both proactive management - before accidents occur - and reactive management:  managing a claim from the minute it happens until the employee is brought back to full-time productive duty.  It may be helpful to know the WorkersCompKit® includes a Facilitator's Guide. This program-planning guide is for the person leading implementation. (workersxzcompxzkit)  http://www.reduceyourworkerscomp.com/dashboard-sample.php

The 23-page booklet with forms and sample letters includes:
1. The timetable
2. The facilitator's agenda
3. An injury coordinator job description
4. A sample letter to divisions with assessment results
5. A sample CEO Roll-Out Letter
6. A sample Kick-Off Letter from Injury Coordinator

2.  How to Get your National Workers' Comp ScoreTM
To get your company’s National Workers' Compensation ScoreTM, the planning team answers and discusses, as a team, the questions in WorkersCompKit®.  Take the IQ Quick Check to see how it works and what you get.

When you take the full score, you receive a personalized National Workers' Comp ScoreTM and customized recommendations for improvement.

To ensure validity of the score it is important to discuss the questions as a team. Members will have their own experiences and views regarding personnel, policies and procedures.

3.  Review your Recommendations
In a formal team meeting review the recommendations you receive and discuss the priority of recommendations, potential challenges, and ways to overcome obstacles.  Your leader team will serve as facilitators and appoint a team member to record action items, responsible parties and completion dates on the timetable for each recommendation. Include a consultant from the broker in the meeting to offer insight into ways to overcome obstacles.

4.  Select Your Project Team
The Injury Management Planning Team includes:
1.  Risk manager or workers' compensation manager.
2.  General manager or plant manager.
3.  Director of personnel or human resources.
4.  Labor relations and others as warranted.
5.  External consultants provide industry expertise (optional).

The Planning Team will be responsible for:
1.  Analyzing the frequency and severity of lost time injuries.
2.  Inventory and briefly analyze the open lost time claims.
3.  Review the company's current procedures for claim handling, injury management, transitional duty and steps taking place when an injury occurs. (workersxzcompxzkit)
4.  Review loss trends with appropriate benchmarks.

5.  Select Your Team Leader
Select a strong team  leader who has sufficient time to dedicate to the project because the team leader is expected to devote 90% of his or her time to the project.  Your team should include individuals who can influence the outcome of workers' compensation activities in the workplace.

Consider selecting  team members from all walks of risk management as a first step in the Assessment and Recommendation Phase. You want teammates who can contribute vital information about all aspects of your current program, including vendor partners, associated claims, and reported losses.

Position titles  may vary from company to company, so you want to select teammates in comparable roles.
1.  Risk manager or injury coordinator; general manager or plant manager.
2.  Director of personnel or human resources.
3.  Labor relations and others as warranted.
4.  Company medical personnel.
5.  External consultants to provide industry expertise (optional).

The planning team  begins by identifying programs, activities, and procedures currently in existence at the company so a baseline can be established.  Think of it as an inventory including:
1.  Analyzing the frequency and severity of lost-time injuries.
2.  Identifying and analyzing open lost-time claims.
4.  Reviewing the company's current procedures for claim handling, injury management, transitional duty and steps taking place when an injury occurs. (workersxzcompxzkit)
5.  Reviewing loss trends with appropriate benchmarks.