Workers' Compensation can be expensive, but it is mandated by the
government that businesses carry it. The cost of Workers' Compensation
is determined by a company's Experience Modification. The Ex Mod takes
into account previous loss history, so the more losses and the bigger
the losses the more you pay. Obviously the way to keep the lowest
premium is to have zero losses, but if a loss does occur there are
certain things that a business owner can do to limit the loss and in
turn save money down the road. One program that a business can
implement, to keep their Ex Mod lower, is a Return to Work program.
Return
to Work (RTW) is also referred to as Modified Duty or Transitional
Work. Return to Work is a process that an employer can set up to bring
injured employees back to work quickly and safely. When an employee is
injured badly enough that they cannot perform their regular duties an
employer can bring them back to work doing a different task that is not
as physical, as long as the physician Okays it. For example, if a roofer
hurts his knee and cannot resume his normal job activities he may be
able to help file in the office or just be an assistant to the manager.
The positions that are created do not have to be full-time; they just
need to be enough to keep the employee busy and still earning some
money.
By the employee working and earning money again it limits the
amount that the insurance company pays the employee for lost time, and
when the insurance company pays less it will not increase the Ex Mod as
much. Another benefit of RTW is that it gets the employee back into
their regular routine faster. When a person gets used to laying on the
couch everyday it can sometimes be difficult to get motivated to go back
to work. By getting the employee off of the couch it also stops them
from seeing the many commercials for Workers' Comp attorneys that play
during day time TV. In addition, since the employee is still coming to
work everyday it is easier for the employer can make sure that the
employee is attending physical therapy sessions and other medical
treatments as they should.
Some Workers' Comp insurance companies
will help you set up your own Return to Work program. If your insurance
company will not help you create your own Return to Work program talk to
your insurance agent and they should be able to help you.
