Posted by Katrina Paglierani on Tue, Jan 19, 2010 @ 11:06 AM
Depending on the laws in your particular state, you may be able to close your most expensive cases by using a job finding service. The examples below have been cleared of any and all personal file information and details.
Common case statistics:
Claimant is usually between the ages of 38 and 52, high school education, physically demanding or repetitive occupation, relatively high-paying blue collar occupation.
Common injuries are carpal tunnel, rotator cuff and lower back/soft tissue damage.
Average age of case from date of injury 2 years old. Usually released with restrictions 12 months or more.
Some examples of actual cases:
Actual Case A
State: Michigan
Male aged 46
Date of Injury: 12/03/07
Restrictions from IME: He is disabled for any job that requires the use of his left hand and his fingers for forceful grasping, climbing, pulling, lifting over 10lbs on a frequent basis or over 20 lbs on occasion. He is also disabled from work in cold environments or work that woulld result in vibrations to the left hand.
Industry: Construction
Education: High School Education, no computer skills.
Results After 8 weeks:6 interviews 3 attended 3 not attended We were informed that the claimant had accepted settlement.
Actual Case B
State: Texas
Male Aged 53
Date of Injury 2006
Restrictions from IME: injured lower back circa 2006 reached MMI in 2007
Industry: Construction
Education: High School Graduate
Results after 12 weeks: 8 Interviews attended: 2
Case was closed and settled favorably for the carrier after non- compliance was shown.
Actual Case C
State: Michigan
Female Aged 37
Date of Injury:1993
Restrictions from IME: Can return to sedentary work. Exerting up to 10lbs of force occasionally (i.e. activity or condition exists up to 1/3 of the time) and/or a negligible amount of force frequently (i.e. activity or condition exists from 1/3 to 2/3 of the time) or lift, carry push, pull or otherwise move options. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time, but may involve walking or standing for brief periods of time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally and all other sedentary criteria are met.
Industry: Nurse's Aid
Education: High School Education, no computer skills.
Results after 10 weeks: 7 interviews 0 attended 7 not attended We were informed that the claimant had accepted settlement.
Actual Case D
State: Illinois
Male aged 53
Date of Injury: Nov 2006
Restrictions from IME: Lower Back injury. Permanent restrictions of no lifting more than 25-30 lbs with no repetitive bending, twisting or stooping.
Industry: Construction (foundations)
Education: High School Education, 2 years vocational mechanics school.
Results after 6 weeks:4 interviews 0 attended 4 not attended Case closed. Claimant was refusing to get back operation that would allow him to return to his former occupation as foreman. Back surgery scheduled.
Actual Case E State: Maryland
Male aged 34
Date of Injury: July 2008
Restrictions from IME: non-sedentary position, no jolting or vibration pressure to lower back.
Industry: Transportation (truck driver)
Education: High School Education
14 week results 8 interviews 3 attended 5 not attended. Spoke to Claims adjuster ,she said she was very pleased with the results and "got what she needed." No other details provided.
Actual Case F
State: North Carolina
Male aged 55
Date of Injury 2007
Restrictions from IME: No lifting above head of 50 lbs or more.
Education; High School Graduate
15 week results: He went to all of the first 10 before he stopped going. His attorney requested copies of each job notice prior to claimant going. Was reported by HR as poorly dressed on the interviews and not filling out complete applications.
We were informed case was settled.
Posted by Katrina Paglierani on Tue, Oct 20, 2009 @ 05:01 PM
Claims Adjusters, in Illinois - IL, Michigan - MI, Louisiana - LA and Pennsylvania - PA especially, have been hearing nothing but bad news about potential open positions for their claimants or injured workers on wage loss benefits. I recently had a Case manager tell me they pay for Labor Market surveys that dont help. A Labor market survey that says there are no jobs is not helping those in the risk management field.
There are positions available, you just have to get in front of the people that are "In the know" and can connect you to those positions.
Whether you are trying to find open positions for an injured worker with permanent restrictions, your son in-law, neighbor or friend, these tips will apply.
One thing I ALWAYS tell people who are looking for work is to add a Keywords or tag list at the end of their resume. These are a bunch of keywords or phrases that recruiters and HR professionals may look for when they do resume database searches. For example, if you are a CNA. You are more likely to state that throughout your resume in the same format. But, you may want to include the following phrases in your keyword, tag list. Certified nurses assistant, C.N.A , certified nurse, etc. Different people search in different ways. Another example, is that you may want to add a list of industries you have experience in. For example, transportation, logistics. You want to make sure that you are popping up in front of anyone who is looking for someone with your skill set.
Because the market is inundated with people looking for work, the HR (Human Resource) professionals are able to look for not only someone with the skill set they require, but also to look for that skill set within the specific industry.
There is a tendency for HR to search the resume database for appropriate matches BEFORE they ever post the job. This is the quickest and most efficient way for them to find candidates. So, if you are not getting in front of those searching a resume database, you will never even know about those open positions.
Dont forget to refresh your resume where it is posted for search. Go in and change something in your resume. Anything and respost. This could be as simple as changing the words it is to it's. Another tip, if you hit control F, you can search for that word or phrase and change it throughout your resume quickly and easily.
Also, get good at doing searches. You will find that you need to search for the open positions in your field using those same variations of open positions I just mentioned. Do some searches, use quotes for exact phrases, use various keywords to express the same thing, ie CNA , C .N.A. Also, look for jobs at specific companies you are interested in working for.
The competition can be a great source for finding work. Oftentimes, HR professionals will do a resume database search for their Competitions former employees. These prospective applicants are oftentimes the best match for their open positions. You can use that same idea, go to linkedin and search for contacts you can make who currently work for your former competitor.
Also, I read recently that recruiters and hiring managers prefer chronological resumes. This does not mean you cannot add a section which clearly describes the attributes you have that suit the particular position you are applying for. This is best done through a cover letter.
Use your Contacts. Nowadays, everyone has a friend, family member or neighbor that is out of work. This has created an environment where we are all willing to go a little bit farther to help others in their job search. Quite often, I have a "stranger" , who has been referred by a friend or colleague, contact me by email about a referral or help with their job search. I search my contacts through linked in, former peers, or coworkers etc and usually ask them to help or I refer the person . Dont be afraid to ask for help, you will get it. And, people right now love to be able to help others in this job crisis. It makes them feel good too. And, you may run across a job in your job search that is not a match for you personally, but that is the perfect match for someone you know is looking.
Posted by Katrina Paglierani on Fri, Oct 02, 2009 @ 06:56 AM
The Workers comp law varies so much from state to state it is a daunting task to keep track. I decided to research the differences in workers comp law as they pertain to indemnity expense. I thought I would share my research on risk management in wage loss states.
I hope this will assist those who are new to the Risk management field with cases in wage loss states.
The following states have high wage loss exposure (indemnity payments) after a case has reached MMI. Michigan (MI), Illinois (IL), Pennsylvania (PA), Louisiana (LA), Maine (ME), New Hampshire(NH) and New York (NY). I will add additional states information as I continue my research.
The following states have no wage loss exposure (indemnity payments) once a case has reached MMI: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey and Tennessee. The State of Florida has "impairment benefits" but no wage loss payments. These payments are determined based on the injury, and continue for a specified amount of time. They are not effected by re-employment of the injured worker in any way. The Injured worker receives the same impairment benefit, whether they are working or not.
Some states have wage loss exposure limited by the rating of the permanent disability or the percentage of disability. Most of these charts are available on each states Workers Comp Board website. A list of these boards by state can be found here:
http://www.ic.nc.gov/ncic/pages/wcadmdir.htm#al
For example: In DC, the length of time an injured worker can receive indemnity payments is based on the injury and a formula determines the benefit. In Michigan, there is no time limit on indemnity payments for permanent partial disability. In New Hampshire the limit is 262 weeks (which includes the weeks the injured worker was considered temporarily disabled.) In Maine and Louisiana the limit is 10 years or 520 weeks. In New York Permanent Partial Disability cases are eligible for indemnity payment to continue depending on injury from a minimum of 225 weeks to a maximum of 525 weeks. Pennsylvania has a limit of 500 weeks for Permanent Partial Disability indemnity payments.
In states where there is a continuance of indemnity, or wage loss, payments required from the Employer or Insurer, there is also the obligation on the part of the injured worker to actively pursue re-employment and/or to make an effort to obtain work. When an injured worker returns to work, depending on the pay variance, the employer may be obligated to continue to make up the difference between the original wage earned when the employee was injured and the new wage. This also varies by state. But, the insurer can apply to the Workers Comp board to discontinue payments if they determine that the Injured worker is not actively pursuing re-employment.