How Return-to-Work Programs Impact Workers’ Compensation Expenses

Workers’ compensation expenses are determined by a wide range of factors; however, 在任何工人赔偿系统中，最重要的成本组成部分之一是索赔历史. Specifically, an increased frequency and severity of claims can exacerbate total losses and elevate premiums. With this in mind, 对于雇主来说，采取措施减少工人的赔偿要求并控制相关成本是很重要的. That’s where return-to-work (RTW) programs can help.  

这些项目旨在帮助员工在生病或受伤后重返工作岗位. RTW programs may entail having injured employees return to work with shortened hours, lighter workloads or different tasks (also known as transitional duties) while they recover. RTW programs offer several benefits, 给受伤的员工恢复工作的机会，即使他们还没有准备好承担原来的工作职责. In turn, 这些计划可以让雇主在员工患职业病和受伤后更好地帮助他们，同时降低相关工人赔偿索赔的总体复杂性. This article provides more details on how RTW programs impact workers’ compensation expenses

Simplified Claims

工人补偿保险包括医疗费用和工资补偿费用(也称为赔偿福利)。. RTW计划允许雇主帮助受伤的员工安全地过渡到他们的角色，而不是强迫他们在整个康复过程中缺勤, thus reducing the need for indemnity benefits.

In other words, 允许受伤的员工更快地重返工作岗位，并在他们继续康复期间从事过渡性工作，可以帮助雇主简化相关工人的赔偿要求. In fact, 业内专家报告称，由于补偿金额减少，RTW项目可以帮助减少高达70%的工人赔偿索赔总额. In addition to limiting wage replacement expenses, RTW项目还可以帮助雇主简化索赔程序，确保受伤的工人感到受到重视，并在恢复过程中保持积极的态度. 这种态度可以减少员工在处理受伤时缺乏支持的风险, 激励他们尽快恢复工作，尽量减少长期索赔或可能的诉讼问题的可能性

Improved EMF Calculations

经验修正因子(EMF)在工人补偿保费成本中起着重要作用. 这一数字代表了雇主与同行业中同等规模的其他企业相比的工人赔偿索赔历史. 它是根据国家赔偿保险委员会(National Council on Compensation Insurance)或各州特定评级机构制定的公式确定的, depending on the employer’s jurisdiction.

The average EMF is 1.0. If a business’s EMF exceeds 1.0, that means its claims history is higher than its peers’ average. On the other hand, an EMF below 1.0 indicates the business’s claims history is below that of its peers.

Maintaining EMFs below 1.0 allows employers to benefit from reduced workers’ compensation premiums. 因为RTW项目可以帮助提高受伤员工的康复效果，并使他们及时重返工作岗位, 拥有这些项目的雇主将更好地拥有理想的工人赔偿索赔历史和, subsequently, lower EMFs than those without such programs. 这源于这样一种想法:一旦受伤的员工重返工作岗位，雇主通常会支付他们的工资，而不是让保险公司提供这样的赔偿, ultimately reducing claims costs, improving EMFs and bolstering company savings.

值得注意的是，尽管EMF计算考虑了雇主工人赔偿索赔的频率和严重程度, frequency generally carries more weight than severity; multiple claims may indicate poor workplace safety procedures and carry a higher likelihood of additional claims moving forward. By implementing RTW programs, employers will be able to better detect potential incident and injury patterns over time, allowing adjustments to be made to workplace safety measures as needed. In doing so, employers can take necessary steps to prevent future incidents and injuries, 因此减少了总体工人索赔频率，并为降低emf和保费铺平了道路.

Better Underwriting Outcomes

While EMFs contribute significantly to workers’ compensation premium calculations, underwriters also consider several other factors when conducting these calculations. In particular, underwriters typically review employers’ workplace safety policies, procedures and related documentation. 这些信息可以帮助保险公司确定雇主是否优先保护工人免受工作中的潜在危险，并在职业疾病和伤害中为他们提供支持.

With RTW programs in place, 雇主可以表明对工作场所安全的明确承诺，并展示他们帮助受伤员工成功度过康复过程的奉献精神. 这就是为什么保险商经常将这些项目视为减少工人赔偿风险的信号. As a result, 雇主最好在他们提供给保险公司的任何工作场所安全文件中包括他们的书面RTW计划. 这将有助于保险公司更好地评估雇主对工人的赔偿风险，并增加降低保费的可能性.

As workforce characteristics and occupational safety hazards evolve, employers’ RTW programs should follow suit. Upon revising or otherwise updating their programs, 雇主可以与保险公司分享这些变化，以强调他们对工作场所安全的持续承诺，并继续从更准确的风险评估和减少的工人赔偿保险费中受益.

Conclusion

RTW programs are essential in any workers’ compensation system. By developing effective programs, 雇主可以帮助限制职业病和工伤的影响，并尽量减少工人的总体赔偿风险, claim costs and premium expenses.

Contact us today for more workers’ compensation resources. 

本报告并非详尽无遗，任何讨论或意见也不应被视为法律建议. Readers should contact legal counsel or an insurance professional for appropriate advice. © 2024 Zywave, Inc. All rights reserved.