Establishing Roles - The Insurance Market

Proper documentation is a critical component of a Workers’ Compensation program, as it helps to ensure that all parties involved in the claim process understand their roles and responsibilities. Establishing clear roles and responsibilities in the documentation process can help to minimize confusion and delays, and ensure that all necessary information is collected and recorded in a timely and accurate manner. Proper documentation is critical, Bert Randall explains, as if you must stand in front of a judge you have a trail of documentation to keep you protected.

Albert B. Randall, Jr.

President of Franklin & Prokopik

Bert Randall, President of Franklin & Prokopik, is a trial attorney concentrating in complex matters involving employment, tort liability and business litigation. He regularly represents companies in state and federal courts, and before state and federal administrative agencies.

Jim Hartstein CIC CRM CWCA

Managing Partner at The Insurance Market

Jim Hartstein is a third generation insurance professional, with more than 10 years in the industry, he has the knowledge and experience to give his clients honest and straightforward advice in a professional and understanding manner. He knows that insurance can be confusing and frustrating for the consumer.

Transcription

Jim: The other thing that I love to include in the return to work template, and it is purely a template that we provide to our clients as sort of a reference, is really establishing those roles of all the players and what their responsibilities are from Senior Management and ownership down to the supervisors down to the employee. The employee needs to know what the rules of the game are, right? And then the supporting documents that go would go along with it. For example, one of the things that we’ll often advise clients or provide clients with a template for them to clear what their council is to say. Hey, here’s a letter which explains your return to work send this to the Physicians. The Physician can do that that post accident evaluations who are the employee who come in right? Just so everybody’s on the same page.

Bert: Yeah, and having that documentation trail, I think, is really important. Those types of templates are extremely valuable. And I know you guys have worked with those with your clients to make sure that they have really current and up to date templates so that you know when you get to it hearing, no one really wants to get there except for maybe the lawyers, but other than that no one really wants to go to hearing if they can avoid it and having some of those templates who can be really helpful to do that. But if you make it that far, you get before a judge, a commission, or whatever it may be. You want to have that trail of documentation. You want to make sure that you can establish that, yes, you have a policy it was conveyed. It was received, they had an opportunity to ask questions. You’ve got the template showing the return to work restrictions, and it’s going to make your case much more persuasive right you get to a hearing.