CareWorks Consultants, Inc. (CCI) recommends posting the letter on your website, inserting the letter in an association newsletter or directly mailing to your group rating participants. As a BWC requirement, CareWorks Consultants will need you to provide us with the documentation used to distribute this information to your members. Please provide the documentation to your assigned CareWorks Consultants Account Executive.

A copy of the letter can be downloaded here for your use. Please only print the attached letter, not this cover page, as it is only intended to provide you with instructions. The Accountability Letter must be published by September 30, 2010. CareWorks Consultants will be posting the letter on our website.

Please contact your CareWorks Consultants Account Executive, toll free, at 1-800-837-3200 with any questions.

Private employers can expect to receive new premium rate notices from the BWC in July showing their manual classifications and new premium rates effective July 1, 2010.

CareWorks Consultants, Inc. (CCI) is able to address any questions or concerns regarding your new July 1, 2010 rate notice from BWC or your future premium payments. Employers that have questions or require additional information should contact CareWorks Consultants, toll-free at 1-800-837-3200.

In order to receive the discount, employers must also:
Send a company representative to ten meetings between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011; at least eight of which must be through the local safety council. Employers can get credit for up to two meetings through attendance at industry specific or BWC safety training courses.
Send a qualified senior-level manager to a safety council sponsored meeting.
Submit semi-annual workplace accident reports for the 2010 calendar year;

Employers can earn a 2% premium rebate for meeting all of the participation eligibility requirements. Employers may earn an additional 2% rebate by reducing either their frequency or severity of workplace injuries by 10%, or by maintaining both frequency and severity of workplace injuries at zero.

BWC’s Division of Safety & Hygiene sponsors more than 80 safety councils around the state. Safety councils are organized through chambers of commerce, trade associations, American Red Cross chapters and other safety-oriented organizations. A complete list of safety councils is available on BWC’s website www.ohiobwc.com, and can be accessed by following the links to “Safety Services” and then to “Safety Services/Safety Councils.”

Any questions or requests for further information regarding the Safety Council Rebate Program can be answered by calling CareWorks Consultants, Inc., toll-free, at 1-800-837-3200.

Due to Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity legislation, most hiring managers know that there is list of questions that cannot be asked of a job applicant relating to their physical abilities, such as: “Do you have any disabilities?” “Please complete the following medical history.” “Have you had any recent or past illnesses or operations?” “What was the date of your last physical exam?” “How is your family’s health?”

Instead it is wise and more appropriate to ask something like this: “Based on the description of this position, can you demonstrate or describe how you would perform the following job related functions.” (This is acceptable only when the interviewer has thoroughly described the position through a job description and essential job functions.) Or, “Do you understand that any offer of employment is conditional based on the results of a pre-employment exam or drug test?” If you do not have a pre-employment drug screen policy, consider the fact that about 74.3% of current, admitted drug users are employed¹ and that 38% – 50% of all work-related accidents are drug or alcohol related.²

Creating the right questions for the job interview can also be a useful tool for candidate selection. This is where the hiring manager can get a picture of the applicant’s views of on-the-job safe work practices. Always avoid questions that result in “yes” or “no” answers, and ask questions such as the following: “Who is responsible for your safety on the job?” “If you were to compare safety and quality, which would you consider to be more important and why?” “If your supervisor asked you to do something that you felt had potential to injure yourself or others, what would you do?” “Have you ever seen a co-worker performing an unsafe act? If so, how did you react?” There is a wide spectrum of possible answers to these questions, and can be very insightful to how your applicant will perform on the job.

One other typical hiring practice is background checking. Many employers choose to recover a job applicant’s workers’ compensation claims history report. Although it is not illegal to obtain this information with the applicant’s permission, it is illegal to make a hiring decision based on the results of that report.

Contact RiskControl360° for assistance with implementing a comprehensive hiring process at
1-800-360-3608.

100% EM Cap Program (100% Cap) – Application deadline – September 30, 2010
This program is ideal for many employers that participated in group rating in 2009 but no longer qualify for 2010. Moderate to significant premium discounts are provided in exchange for safety program improvements. The EM% or “experience modifier” determines an employer’s premium rates. An employer’s EM% increases when they experience more claim costs than the BWC expects. Losing group rating eligibility often results in a significant EM% increase. In this program, the employers 2010 EM% will be capped at a 100% increase (doubling of) the July 1, 2009 published EM%. The 100% EM Cap program often offers employers the greatest relief to their increasing premium rates because the employer no longer qualifying for group rating can experience premium rate increases greater than 100%. The cap controls the increase. The employer’s EM for 2010 before the cap must be 1.01 or higher (debit rated) to qualify. Very small employers do not qualify for the program. Qualifying employers must agree to implement portions of the BWC’s 10 Step Business Plan for Safety to maintain their cap. In year 1 of the cap, 5 of the steps must be implemented. If the cap benefits the employer for a second year, all 10 steps must be implemented. Participants for the 2010 policy year are required to report on their safety progress by March 31, 2011.

Safety Council Program (S.C.) – Application deadline – July 31, 2010
Employers enroll in this program directly with their local safety council and earn a 2-percent rebate for meeting all of the participation requirements and an additional 2-percent performance bonus for reducing either claims frequency or severity rates by 10 percent compared to the prior year, or by keeping either rate at zero. Participation requirements include attendance at 10 safety council meetings during the year, CEO attendance at one of the 10 meetings, and semi-annual reporting of injuries.

CareWorks Consultants (CCI) and RiskControl360 (RC360) fully understand these alternative programs and can help determine which of them best fit your unique circumstances. For more information call CCI toll-free at 1-800-837-3200 or RC360 at 1-877-360-3608 and ask to speak to someone in the Sales Department.

There will be two participation levels to the new DFSP. “Basic” level participants will receive a 4% discount. “Advanced” level participants will receive a 7% discount. Under the old program, employers enrolled in a group rating program were prohibited from receiving a discount. Through the new DFSP, group rating participants can now receive a 3% discount but must participate at the “Advanced” level. There will also be a non-discount option for employers to implement comparable programs when required for state of Ohio public improvement projects. Interested employers can begin applying on April 2, 2010. Applications can be obtained from the BWC website or by calling CareWorks Consultants. The enrollment deadline for a July 1, 2010 start in the program is June 30, 2010. The next enrollment deadline will be October 29, 2010 for a January 1, 2011 start. Public employer taxing districts also have until October 29, 2010 to enroll for a January 1, 2011 start. Self-insured employers are not eligible. Employers participating in the following BWC programs are not be eligible for DFSP discounts: 100% EM Cap, $15,000 Medical Only, Group-Retrospective Rating, Individual (Paid-Loss) Retrospective Rating, Large Deductible and One Claim Program.

At the “Basic” level, employers will be required to develop a written drug free policy, conduct annual employee education and provide annual supervisor skill building training. It is anticipated that the annual employee education requirement will be one hour for all participants, and the supervisor skill building training will be two hours for supervisors with a one hour refresher in subsequent years. Drug and alcohol testing requirements for “Basic” participants will include pre-employment/new hire, post accident, reasonable suspicion and return to duty. “Basic” participants will be able to terminate employees that test positive but must provide employees with a list containing names and addresses of qualified substance abuse assessment resources.

Regarding the safety elements of the new DFSP, “Basic” participants will be required to complete an online safety assessment through BWC’s website. Supervisors will be required to complete a one time accident-analysis training that will also be available through BWC’s website. Lastly, companies will be required to report accidents in a timely manner through BWC’s online accident-analysis tool.

“Advanced” level participants must meet all the “Basic” requirements plus conduct random testing at 15% of the workforce per year and must offer a second chance to employees who test positive or voluntarily seek assistance. A relationship must be pre-established with a substance assessment provider, and the employer must pay for the assessment. The safety requirements at the “Advanced” level further require that a safety action plan be developed to address the results of the online safety assessment.

BWC has initially indicated that a Drug-Free Grant Program will be available but has not yet released details.

For more information, call CareWorks Consultants at 1-800-837-3200.

Individual Paid Loss Retrospective Rating – Application deadline – June 1, 2010
This program provides up-front premium discounts from 20% to 40% in exchange for assuming financial risk for new claims incurred during the policy year. Discounts vary considerably depending on the level of risk assumed. Qualifying employers should be willing to reimburse BWC for claim payments made for up to a ten year period in any new claim incurred during the paid retro policy year. Interested employers should have at least $100,000 of estimated annual premium and be able to supply audited financial reports for the past five years to show financial stability. BWC may require participants to implement the 10-Step Business Plan for Safety within the first year. Quarterly meetings with an assigned BWC representative are also required.

Deductible Program – Application deadline – April 30, 2010
This program provides up-front premium discounts in exchange for the employer accepting the financial risk of reimbursing BWC up to a predetermined amount of claims costs for each new claim incurred during the policy year. Small employers choose amounts from $500 to $10,000 as the per claim deductible amount, in exchange for discounts ranging from 1.4% to 26%. However, the deductible amount chosen cannot exceed 25% of the employer’s experience rated premium from the most recent full policy year. Participating employers must also pass a credit check. This year, BWC has made additional high deductible amounts available. Large employers can choose $25,000, $50,000, $100,000 or $200,000 as the per claim deductible amount, but may not choose an amount that exceeds 40% of their experience rated premium from the most recent full policy year. These high deductible levels require the individual employer to provide BWC with three years of audited financial reports. BWC may also require an employer to adopt an alternative premium payment plan, provide a letter of credit or surety bond and select an aggregate stop-loss limit. The aggregate stop-loss limits deductible payments to three times the deductible level chosen. The high deductible discounts range from 16% to 77% depending on the industry, premium size and deductible amount. Electing the aggregate stop-loss limit can alter the discount. Participation is annual from July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011. Employers cannot withdrawal from the program until the year is over, regardless of the injuries they experience. Annual renewal in the program is automatic unless the employer provides written notice that they would like to be removed.

Employers can combine the deductible program discounts with group rating discounts unless the employer elects a large deductible option ($25,000 to $200,000). Combined discounts cannot exceed 65% at this time. Deductible discounts can be combined with other BWC discount programs but may not be utilized if the employer participates in group or individual retrospective rating, the $15k medical only program, or if the employer practices salary continuation.

CareWorks Consultants (CCI) and RiskControl360 (RC360) fully understand these alternative programs and can help determine which of them best fit your unique circumstances. For more information call CCI toll-free at 1-800-837-3200 or RC360 at 1-877-360-3608 and ask to speak to someone in the Sales Department.

Download the information PDF.

Please take some time to visit our new website at www.careworksconsultantsinc.com. Our old web address still works and will redirect your members to our new address.

Our hope is that the new website will prove to be an invaluable resource for current clients and a powerful sales tool for potential clients. New and improved features include:

• A resource page with frequently used forms for employers;
• Updated information on BWC programs;
• A special page dedicated to group sponsors;
• Information on CCI’s Quality Assurance standards; and,
• An easily accessible application for group rating.

Keep in mind, the new website is a work-in-progress. Please feel free to share feedback and suggestions with us to better enhance our image and accessibility. Feel free to contact your account executive with any questions or suggestions.

Companies currently enrolled in a group rating program administered by CareWorks Consultants will not receive an enrollment packet. As in the past, renewing companies will only receive an invoice from CareWorks Consultants. We do ask that you pay your forthcoming renewal invoice to CareWorks Consultants upon receipt to ensure your enrollment in the program.

As a reminder to all customers, CCI recently changed its company name. Effective May 11, 2009, the new company name is CareWorks Consultants, Inc. (CCI). Please note that only the name has changed. The corporate entity, tax identification number and all phone, fax and email contact information remain the same.

We are urging you to submit your paperwork and payment to enroll in the group rating program now. Please don’t leave money on the table. Failure to return the enrollment forms by the deadline will prevent you from saving on your workers’ compensation premiums.

If you have any questions about your enrollment, please contact our partners, CareWorks Consultants, toll-free at 1-800-837-3200.