| Winter 2009
Claim Teams Take Care of Your Injured Workers
This fall, Texas Mutual earned high-performer status in the Texas Department of Insurance Performance-Based Oversight report. The 17-page report is available at www.tdi.state.tx.us/wc/pbo/ /documents/pbo2009.pdf, but the most important takeaway for employers is this: Texas Mutual delivers timely, appropriate benefits to your injured workers.
“In many cases, benefit checks are injured workers’ only means of putting food on the table and a roof over their heads,” said Lisa Corless, Texas Mutual’s chief operating officer.
“We take our responsibility to injured workers and their families seriously. We will continue working hard to minimize the consequences of workplace injuries and make Texas a safer, more productive place to work,” added Corless.
The claim management process starts when you report an incident. Our adjusters gather information about the accident and send a field adjuster to the site if necessary. Their goal is to determine whether the injury is compensable as soon as possible
If the claim is compensable, we will deliver the injured employee’s first benefit check on their 15th day of lost time. The employee will receive subsequent benefit checks every week.
Meanwhile, our return-to-work team will be working hard to ensure the injured employee gets quality health care and returns to your team as soon as medically reasonable.
The longer injured employees are off work, the less likely they are to return to productive employment. By the sixth month, they have only a 50 percent chance of returning to work. Meanwhile, their employers must find a way to make up for lost production. Ultimately, replacing a worker can cost 50 percent to 150 percent of his or her salary.
Employers should contribute to the return-to-work process. Start by thinking about alternative work that injured employees can do while they recover. If employees get injured, stay in touch with them. Find out if they need extra help with their recovery. Tell the doctor you are committed to helping the injured worker return to work at full or modified duty.
For a step-by-step guide to helping injured employees return to work, visit texasmutual.com/safety/rtwtools.shtm and download a free Return-to-Work Kit. You can also visit the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation at www.tdi.state.tx.us/wc/rtw/index.html for free resources
COMPNEWS - Winter 2009
Want to Control Workers’ Comp Costs and Improve Productivity?
Ten Ways to Improve Your Safety Program
Claim Teams Take Care of Your Injured Workers
Workplace Fatalities Decrease
President's Message:
Rest Easy - Your Agent Gave You Good Advice
You Need to Know
Fraud-Fighting Corner
Reminders
Learn More About the Workers' Comp System