How to Prepare a Workers Comp Insurance Checklist

If you own a business, then you should get acquainted with workers comp insurance. Becoming familiar with the steps you should take when a worker is injured will save time and could prove to be critical in ensuring your company's financial future. By following a checklist, you can ensure that claims are dealt with professionally, while reducing the chance that you will receive fraudulent claims.

Instructions

Create an Immediate-Action Checklist

1. Begin your workers comp insurance checklist by developing and recording your plan to aid an injured worker on-site.

2. List the appropriate medical provider who will see any injured workers.

3. Be sure that you have all employees' emergency numbers on file to contact in case of an injury.

4. Decide on potential management-level staff members who will be assigned to handle workers comp cases and add them to your checklist.

Develop Your First-Day Plan

1. Prepare the contact details of your claim handler, such as an insurance company representative, to make your report in a timely fashion after the injury.

2. List counsel who can help you determine whether or not cases are covered by workers comp.

3. Add a meeting with your injured worker and their family to your workers comp insurance checklist. They will need to be made aware of claims procedures and benefits.

Identify Your First-Week Checklist

1. Coordinate initial payments between the worker and the insurance company. Identify this as your top concern on your workers comp insurance checklist.

2. Create possible return-to-work plans for injured employees.

3. Verify your employee's contact information to be sure that you can contact them when you follow up on their work leave.

Plan the Follow-Up Period Checklist

1. List the name of an independent physician you could use if the injured worker needs continued care.

2. Be sure that you have a solid mail-forwarding system in place for those under workers comp leave.

3. Plan your approach for consolation to enforce the company's care for injured employees. Add this to the checklist.

Respond to Claims Using Your Checklist

1. Ask the injured worker for an oral statement.

2. Obtain a written statement from the worker regarding the accident and give a copy to the employee.

3. Locate witnesses and gather oral and written statements.

4. Check the accident site for videos or photographs of the accident from surveillance equipment.

5. Prepare for future litigation by contacting your attorney. Verify whether or not the costs of litigation will amount to more than paying the claim itself.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure to obtain a written statement as soon as possible after the accident.