Watch out for these tricky situations
Learn from others' reporting mistakes and save yourself time, money and headaches
Best practices
Report quickly
Report injuries to SFM within five days. Remember, the clock starts ticking when any supervisor, manager or claims coordinator becomes aware of the injury.
If a call from a doctor or attorney is the first time you become aware an employee was injured, report it right away so your SFM claims representative can begin managing the claim.
Notify SFM first, then your agent
Submit the First Report directly to SFM, then send a copy to your agent if you wish. Reporting only to your agent may delay the response.
Do not have employees fill out First Reports
Employees may not understand what is being asked or may deliberately misstate facts.
Complete forms
Try to fill in every box as accurately and completely as possible. If you can't get all the information within five days, send in the First Report and call your claims representative with additional information later.
You're out of the office
Make sure you have a backup person to report work injuries while you are out. Let supervisors know you'll be gone and who your backup is. Also tell your SFM claims representative.
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An employee is missing work
If the injured employee is missing time from work, it is essential that you (1) fill in the "Last Day Worked" box with the date of the last full or partial day worked, and (2) check "Yes" in the box that asks, "Was this a lost time or other compensable injury?" That information triggers the wage-replacement benefits the employee is entitled to under state law.
Information changes
If an employee starts missing time from work after you have sent in the First Report or you find out the employee has moved, call your claims representative immediately with the updated information.
You receive a medical bill
You shouldn't receive any medical bills for an injured employee. If you do, send them directly to your SFM claims representative. Don't ever pay a bill. This is an admission of liability.
You question the injury's legitimacy
You may believe an injury is not work related, or even suspect fraud. Still, by law you must report every claimed injury--even if it's questionable.
Reporting an injury does not mean you are admitting liability. It simply means an employee claimed he was injured at work.
If you have suspicions about the claim, use the "Confidential comments" box on the online form or write them on a separate piece of paper and attach it to the First Report. Don't write directly on the First Report, because the injured employee receives a copy.
It's just a minor injury
All injuries should be reported to SFM, even minor ones. If a work injury involves no medical treatment or lost time from work, consider filing an "Incident-Only Report."
To do this, check the "IOR" box on the online reporting form or write "IOR" in the upper-right corner of the paper form. Type or write "none" or "N/A" in the boxes that do not apply to the injury, such as treating practitioner information or last day worked.
By reporting an incident, you are preserving the necessary information you will need if the injury does later require medical attention or lost time from work. SFM does not set aside reserves for an incident, so the claim is opened and closed the same day. An incident will not affect your e-mod.
Don't let communications break down
Sometimes an employee doesn't report a work injury simply because he doesn't know what to do.
• Use employee training to teach your employees how, when and to whom they should report work injuries.
• Hang the "If you become injured at work" poster in a high-traffic area where employees will see it. A copy of the poster is in the back pocket of the SFM Employer Kit already mailed to you as an SFM policyholder. For additional copies, order through the online "Resource catalog." The poster is also available in Spanish and Hmong.
Sometimes supervisors don't report work injuries, either, because they don't know what to do.
Train supervisors by telling them about their responsibilities and distributing:
• The "Supervisor responsibilities" sheet. Go to SFM's "Resource catalog" to download or request copies.
• A "Supervisor work injury response card," which is a mini version of the sheet above. Order more wallet cards through SFM's "Resource catalog".
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