• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Citywide Insurance and Real Estate

Serving the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia

  • Real Estate
    • Neighborhoods
    • Buyers
    • Sellers
    • Property Search
  • Insurance
    • Products
      • Auto Insurance
      • Business Insurance
      • Dental Insurance
        • Ameritas
        • Delta Dental
      • Health Insurance
        • Marketplace
        • Motorist Life Insurance
        • Medicare Supplements
        • Short-Term Medical
        • Medicare Part D
        • Medicare Advantage
          • Enroll Today
      • Howeowner’s Insurance
      • Flood Insurance
      • Worker’s Compensation
    • Providers
      • Allstate
      • Ameritas
      • Anthem
      • The Health Plan
      • Westfield
  • About Us
    • Our History
    • Blog
    • Team
    • Mission
    • Leave Us A Review !
    • Community Involvement
    • Career Opportunities
    • Privacy Statement
  • Resource Center
    • External Resources
      • Medicare
      • WV Flood Tool
      • Kelly Blue Book
      • FEMA
      • WV Insurance
      • Healthcare.gov
    • Claims
    • Make a Payment
  • Get A Quote
  • Contact Us
  • (888) 548-4467

Should I File a Workers’ Compensation Claim?

You are here: Home / General / Should I File a Workers’ Compensation Claim?

Should I File a Workers’ Compensation Claim?

Posted on December 16, 2019 Leave a Comment

Article was originally posted on Employers.com and can be found here. 

On-the-job injuries and illnesses happen every day in a variety of workplaces across the United States. The latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows nearly 3 million American workers got hurt on the job in 2017. But how many injuries or illnesses at work rise to the level of needing to involve an insurance company?

Small business owners, or policyholders, who wonder “should I file a workers’ comp claim?” can rely on a simple rule of thumb: any worker injury that requires medical help beyond self-treating first-aid is an injury that should be filed. Stated another way, if a worker seeks treatment where they incur a bill, that should be filed.

This would include lacerations requiring stitches; broken bones; deep bruises; muscle, tendon and ligament damages or tears; concussions, or any injury where an employee is rendered unconscious; or injuries where bleeding cannot be stopped, such as an impalement, stab wound or gunshot wound.

Some employers also require their workers to report “near-misses” be filed so they can keep track of safety code violations. These are accidents where workers escaped serious injury, but a correction must take place to prevent another similar accident from reoccurring.

Every state has different reporting deadlines for work-related injuries. Some are as liberal as two years, other as strict as five days. Regardless, filing workers’ comp claims promptly is always the best course of action.

Delayed reporting can also hurt a business owner, as it can affect their Experience Modification Rate to a certain degree. An Experience Modification Rate (also known as a Modifier, Mod or Ex-Mod) is an adjustment of an employer’s premium for workers’ comp coverage based on the losses the insurer has experienced from that employer.

Carriers sometimes incentivize owners to report claims early by offering a discount within their program. So, policyholders could potentially lose their discount if they report a claim late. Additionally, in some states, it’s a misdemeanor for employers to fail to report worker injuries in a timely manner.

Every employer is required to post on-site for workers the name of their workers’ comp insurance carrier and where to go to seek medical treatment covered under the policy. The business owner must also provide the employee with the correct forms to file to the workers’ compensation provider, forms to report to the state workers’ compensation board (if state law requires it) and information about their rights, benefits and returning to work. The business owner will then file the claim with the insurance provider.

When filing claims, owners can expect to be asked to provide some standard information to their workers’ comp providers:

  • The company’s name and address 
  • The injured worker’s name, address, Social Security number and birth date 
  • State in which the injured worker was hired 
  • Injured worker’s occupation (job title) at the time of injury
  • Date of injury 
  • Address/location of accident (Was the accident on the employer’s premises?) 
  • How did the accident occur? 
  • How many people were injured in the accident?
  • Part(s) of the body injured 
  • Did the injured worker return to their next scheduled shift after the accident?
  • Is the validity of the claim doubted? If so, tell us why. 
  • Are the injured worker’s wages being paid during disability? 
  • Does the employee hold a full time (40 hours per week) position?
  • Injured worker’s wage on the date of injury (salary or hourly pay amount)

Shortly after reporting a claim, a claims professional with the insurance provider will call the owner to discuss the next steps.

General

About CityWide

Doug Clatterbuck
Doug Clatterbuck
President/Broker

Citywide Insurance and Financial Services, Inc, is an independent insurance agency representing multiple carriers. Our team shares it’s offices with Citywide Realty in an effort to make your insurance and realty needs more convenient for your life.

Get a Quote Today

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Get a Quote

Starting the Process is Easy
Get a quote from CityWide Insurance today to see how much you can save.

Quote Now

News and Updates

Memorial Day

May 1, 2022

Don’t Play the Fool with Life Insurance

April 1, 2022

Camping, Motorcycles, and ATVs

March 1, 2022

Leave Us a Review

We would love to hear from you!
Let us know how we have been servicing you.

Review on Google

Footer

Contact Us

2066 National Road
Wheeling WV 26003
(888) 548-4467
See All Locations

About Us

Since 1995, Citywide Insurance has been providing comprehensive insurance for all of our clients. We are a full service agency that delivers diverse products and services to the public. We offer quality service to guarantee customer satisfaction.
Learn More

Connect With Us

Get the latest news and information about CityWide Insurance and Real Estate by connecting on social.

  • Facebook

© 2022 All Rights Reserved. | Citywide Insurance | Sitemap | Privacy | Employee Email