By reporting claims in a timely manner , injured employees can get the care and benefits they need and get back to work as quickly as possible .
Business Management
perative that an insurance carrier starts an investigation as soon as possible after an accident occurs . Unfortunately , fraud does happen . Given that landscape workers are often on different properties daily , landscape business owners must have proper and organized reporting procedures in place . Workers ’ comp contributes to the estimated $ 30 billion in fraudulent insurance claims that are filed every single year in the United States . With early claims reporting , landscape business owners can ensure accidents are thoroughly investigated , and employees who truly need workers ’ compensation benefits receive them .
3 . Reducing workers ’ comp claim costs Early reporting can also reduce the overall workers ’ comp claim cost . If an employee is genuinely injured , allowing them to continue to work without the proper medical treatment can result in the injury getting worse or another injury occurring because of the first one . Injuries can create additional expenses and staffing challenges . By reporting claims in a timely manner , injured employees can get the care and benefits they need and get back to work as quickly as possible .
4 . Avoiding penalties and fees for late filing Every small business across industries is required to report injuries , illnesses and deaths that happen in the workplace to OSHA and their respective state ’ s workers ’ comp division . Failing to do so within its state ’ s allotted timeline can result in significant penalties and , in some cases , thousands of dollars in fees . Under reporting and improper reporting of workers ’ comp claims is also a significant problem . In 2015 , OSHA estimated that approximately half of serious work-related injuries and fatalities were not reported , and also estimated that many of those responsible for under-reporting were small and midsized businesses that likely didn ’ t understand their reporting requirements . Business owners need to understand the laws and put an injury-reporting process in place , especially given their various jobsite locations . This will not only help keep the company within the claims reporting window and avoid fines , but will also help reduce the under-reporting gap .
Whether it ’ s the benefit of employee retention and boosted morale , or reducing costs , promptly reporting workers ’ comp claims is imperative to the long-term success of a business . Landscape business owners should take note of the processes required by their insurance carrier before injuries occur , so they ’ re educated on how to quickly proceed in the case of an accident . Every situation is different , and state workers ’ comp
By reporting claims in a timely manner , injured employees can get the care and benefits they need and get back to work as quickly as possible .
laws are subject to change , so please refer to your state ’ s specific legislation programs .
Dimitrius King is chief claims officer at Pie Insurance , and is responsible for leading and implementing the company ’ s claims strategy . Over the past 15 years , he has held various strategic and claims leadership roles at Liberty Mutual and The Hartford . His background includes leading in workers ’ compensation , group benefits , auto , property and catastrophe claims organizations . For helpful information about workers ’ comp insurance that shares the important role it plays in protecting your employees on the job , visit https :// pieinsurance . com / workers-compensation-insurance .
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