Workers Comp Job Finding Blog

Online Job Postings Up 255,000 in December

Well, it is nice to post something positive in 2010 about potential return to work possibilities.  National Job Finders does not use online job postings to find open positions for injured workers, but I watch this as an indicator of hiring overall.  This bodes well for the potential openings we can locate for injured workers with restrictions as well. Afterall, only a very few open positions are actually advertised anywhere, over 80% are not.  

If you would like to look into this information in more detail, please visit the link below to see information on a particular state or industry. I note that Michigan, the state where we do much of our workers compensation job finding is still struggling.  Though the postings are up, they have not caught up with the loss they suffered in Nov.  Despite these discouraging numbers, we have consistently been able to successfully find open, suitable, and acceptable positions for the injured worker cases in Michigan and elsewhere.

Also available at this link is a specific look at the posted jobs in relation to the number of unemployed in that industry.  Here we see that there are more jobs posted than unemployed in the healthcare industry and computer & mathematical science.  In all others, this is not the case.  

The transportation and material moving industry shows the highest ratio of unemployed to open positions at 13 unemployed per posted position.  This is one of the industries from which we see most of our job finding cases.  Others are manufacturing and construction.

 

www.conference-board.org/economics/helpwantedOnline.cfm.

 

 

Interesting Insurance Journal Article

I just read this article on insurancejournal.com and found it is worth recommending to my readers.

Injury Severity, Not Legal Fees, Drives Workers Comp Costs in Illinois

http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/midwest/2009/12/07/105760.htm

What attracted me to this article is that I was specifically researching the number of injured workers or percentage of employees that are out on workers comp in different industries and in different states. It turns out, those in the industry do not have those numbers readily available. But, I think that it is worth looking into for your own education and future planning.  Especially considering the example shown in this article. 

"For every 100 illinois construction worker there are 1.21 injuries per year."  I also read recently that the average age of a construction worker is 44, up from 40 a few years earlier. This is probably due to the fact that people are staying in the workforce longer, retiring later.  

In addition, at least in illinois, the construction workforce is projected to increase in different sectors anywhere from 10-15 percent in 2010.  So, one would assume, there will be an increase of workers compensation claims that go along with that. 

Construction injuries, according to the insurancejournal are usually extremity injuries or back injuries. From my experience, most of the construction cases we handle are back injuries and/or rotator cuff.  These cases are the most expensive, because they go on for a long time.  Also, they are more difficult to place and require dedication and special attention.   Often, construction companies do not offer light or modified duty because they have no where to place the injured workers.  

This is also true of manufacturing and transportation companies among others.  My suggestions is that you take the time to find out what percentage of your workforce is out of workers compensation to get a handle on how much it is really costing you. 

You may even want to plug it into the free "Sales to pay for Accidents" calculator on reduceyourworkerscomp.com 

http://reduceyourworkerscomp.com/calculator.php

 

referenced article: http://ibjonline.com/print_swillinois_construction_workforce.html

 

I would like to invite people to participate in our poll

 What percentage of your employees are out on workers comp?  

 Please take the time to participate in our poll (survey)  You may be interested in and surprised by the results.

I also invite you to share and comment as well.

http://www.nationaljobfinders.com/poll-question/ or click here

 

Injured Workers With Permanent Restrictions?

What options do you have for Injured Workers with Permanent Restrictions?

If an Employer is unable or unwilling to offer light duty positions? what are your options?

What if the employer does not offer a return to work, RTW program?

Below, are some options available.

• Volunteer or charity jobs- insurer still pays wage-loss benefits
• Training programs- insurer still pays wage-loss benefits
• Work at home -in many cases not accepted as true "employment".
• Employment positions with new employer

What have you used, and what have been the results?

In my opinion, in comes down to the particulars of each case. when I posed this question on a public forum there was quite a bit of interest. 

In general, the responses expressed that offering light duty or transitional positions should be the first choice.  I would agree that if such positions are open, they are the best option for employers.  

Most agree that returning an injured employee to some sort of work quickly is the best policy.  I think the particulars of the case often determine what that option should be. 

Another point was made that training etc is very helpful. And, I agree with this as well. Oftentimes, it is beneficial to get these injured workers additional training to make them more marketable and employable. 

Lastly, quick settlement was suggested. Again, a good idea when possible. 

These are all good ideas. 

Lets look at each option:

Light duty or transitional duty:  Many companies do not have light duty positions available.  Especially companies in Construction, transportation, manufacturing and the like.  Many of these companies to not have office staff employed or an office at all for that matter. 

Training:  This is a good option, and voc rehab is mandatory in some states. It is a good way to increase the employability of an injured worker. But, it does cost, and does not guarantee that the person will be better able to find a job. It also does not mean they will use the training to their benefit.  They will still need to aggressively and consistently look for work.  

Settlement:  This assumes that you can get the claimant to settle.  The longer a case drags on, the more expensive it is.  

Employment with a new employer.  Re-employment ends (or at least immediately reduces) wage-loss or indemnity payments.  Workers Comp claimaints are required to look for and accept employment that is within their restrictions.  

 

 

Workers Compensation Job Finding Services

Why Use a Job Finding Service for your Workers compensation and auto wage-loss benefits cases?

Job Finding will allow you to quickly and efficiently reduce your workers' comp costs by reducing your indemnity expenses.

Job Finding is specifically designed to locate positions for the Permanent Partially Disabled case file.

Case managers are generally working on a caseload of 100-150 files at any time.

Because most of us only have 40 hours a week to work, it is natural , even appropriate for those case managers to devote their time to files where they can make some headway.

Job Finding is not necessarily appropriate for all workers' comp Permanent Partial Disability cases.

Job Finding is appropriate when the case has challenges whether they are geographical, physical or financial.

For example, cases submitted for job finding service are generally dealing with Carpal Tunnel, lower back soft tissue damage, or rotator cuff injuries.

Furthermore, Job finding services are very often used to find appropriate positions for construction, transportation, shipping and other physical, relatively high-paying positions.

Also, Job Finding services are most often used in states that have Wage Loss exposure after a case has reached Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI)

Going back to the case load of your average case manager.

If a case manager has 100-150 active files, they often have up to 30% of cases that are very difficult to advance to the next level or make any headway on. For this reason, these files can go on far longer than they need to.

Because the Job finding cases require an average of over 20 dedicated hours per successfully scheduled interview and it takes an average of 4.5 interviews per case to successfully close the case, it is certainly challenging for a case manager to include this in their daily or weekly routine.

Obviously, dedicating all their time to that 30% is an ineffective use of a case manager's time.

Job Finders are specialists. They have an established network of contacts and employers. Also, they are rigorous and will cold-call employers in appropriate geograhical and industry specific areas until they find the unlisted, hidden positions suitable to each case.

Job Finders take excessive notes and keep a record of everything from the initial pre-interview session with HR personnel, to the interview results and follow-up.

Job Finding is appropriate for those 30% of cases, in any state where the insurer has wage loss exposure after MMI . In other words, it is most appropriate for Permanent Partial Disability cases.

CONSIDER: A Permanent Partial Disability (PPD) case in Michigan costs an average of 72,000.00 PER CASE between months 13-36. These are cases that have ALREADY been active for 12 months. If case managers waited 12 months before sending a case to a Job Finder they would still save an average of 65,000.00 per case. Certainly, it is better to put your PPD cases into the hands of a Job Finding service as soon after they have reached MMI as possible. The sooner the better.

Some Frightening Workers Comp Statistics

Did you know?

The median incurred benefits cost for workers compensation cases exceeding 7 days is $31,161.00, not including reserve requirements.

Did you know?
The Difference in Average costs from 12 month marker to 36 months could result in an Average savings of $72,908 dollars per case (Michigan Sample)

Did you know?
The benefit delivery expenses increased on average 7.8% from 2006-2007 and are continuing to go up.

Did you know?
Permanent partial disability cases account for an average of 18.6% of workers compensation cases and 46% of cases over cases over 7 days.

Did you know?
The average total cost per claim on cases greater than 7 days increased 4.8% from 2006-2007.

Did you know?
We can positively affect your bottom line by decreasing the time and money spent on your most expensive MMI/PPD workers compensation cases.

Did you know?
In addition to our team of professional job researchers and case managers, we have developed relationships with employers, human resource professionals and other job placement experts over several decades, giving us an inside track to find open positions for your PPD cases that will fit their financial requirements and physical limitations.

Did you know?
We help close cases in an average of 8-12 weeks.

How much can we save you?

Spending All of Your Time ReActing?

After speaking to hundreds of case managers, voc rehab specialists and others in the industry, the one complaint I hear most of all is the following:

Case managers do not have enough time in the day to agressively seek out employment opportunities for their PPD or Non Scheduled benefits cases. They spend most of the day reacting to phone calls and emails. Many case managers have a more than full plate, oftentimes managing over 100 cases at any time.

I have been in the employment industry for almost a decade, attending SHRM meetings, job fairs, expos, conferences and the like. It takes a lot of work to find job, and it certainly helps to have "connections." Any article you read about job searching today will tell you, you need to use your contacts, your peers, family members and any connections that you have gathered over the years, to assist you in finding an open suitable position. I have taught seminars on How to Recruit the right people to Employers, and I have taught classes on how to find the right job to job seekers. It is not an easy process. Todays economy makes it that much more challenging.

The very nature of the "Job seekers" we deal with in this industry, makes the job all that much more difficult. It is also very natural for Case managers to spend the time on finding open positions for those they feel will be the quickest to rectify. If you have an 8 hour day, and 1 hour of actual "Action time", it is only natural to spend that time on a case that will be easier to fulfill. You, effectively, spend the time on the cases you can actually make progress with, to Shrink your "TO DO" stack.

We know that finding open positions is a time consuming endeavor. That is why we Specialize in this one aspect of the industry. We have the connections and the time to find the positions and help you close those cases. Usually, cases we work close in 8-12 weeks.

We can do what you cant.......Because it's ALL we do.