Safety and Workers' Compensation Management

Vote for Safety Webinar Topics for 2019

We are planning our 2019 calendar of monthly safety webinars.

We want to plan programming that is valuable to you. Please take just a minute to tell us which topics are of the most interest to you. Vote for as many topics as you want.

We will prioritize the topics for 2019 based upon the highest member interest, shown by number of member votes.

Click here to select your topics now! 10/4/2018

$10.8 Million in Uncashed Checks

The BWC reports that more than 5,500 Ohio employers are sitting on $10.8 million in uncashed checks that it issued in conjunction with the $1.5 billion back rebate.

The checks have a 90-day life and will begin expiring on Oct. 3.

BWC began sending the checks in batches on June 28. The first of the six batches will expire Oct. 3 and all outstanding checks will expire by the end of October.

BWC has a plan for uncashed checks: BWC will credit an employer’s account the amount of their rebate if they do not cash their check. Credits will apply to any outstanding balances owed by the employer and a new check will be issued for any remaining credit on the account.

Note: Employers participating in group retrospective rating plans will receive their checks in mid-October. 9/26/2018

Upcoming webinar: Active Violence Situation in the Workplace

Our October safety webinar is Active Violence Situation in the Workplace, on Thursday, October 4 from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

While we hope no one ever needs to use this information, our goal is to increase the overall awareness of participants and prepare them to respond using best practices during any potential incident of active violence.

Register here. No charge for OMA members. 9/17/2018

BWC System-Wide Outage Set for Saturday, October 13

The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) will be conducting routine maintenance that will impact internet and phone services on Saturday, October 13.

Due to this scheduled shutdown, BWC’s website will not be accessible nor will its automated phone service via 1-800-644-6292. All other BWC phones will go directly to voicemail. Website users will see a static page of information explaining the outage and will not be able to access any of the site’s functionality.

All systems will be up and running by start of business Monday, October 15, 2018. 9/20/2018

Workers’ Comp Offers for 2019/20 Now Online

OMA members who buy OMA Workers’ Compensation Services can find their 2019/20 policy year offer online on their WCS Dashboard.

Online offers are available 100% of the time.

The dashboard also contains a variety of useful reports and information to help members manage claims and lower premium expense.

Not yet an OMA Workers’ Compensation Services customer? Apply easily here for your no-cost, no-obligation proposal. 9/13/2018

How Manufacturers Can Keep Temporary Workers Safe

From OMA Connections Partner Dinsmore, this article by David Flynn, Partner, discusses OSHA requirements and business considerations for keeping temporary workers safe. 9/12/2018

Medical Marijuana is Here (sort of). Is your Company Ready?

From OMA Connections Partner Bricker & Eckler: “Ohio is in for some turbulence as it enters the world of legalized cannabis. The state’s medical marijuana program was to be fully implemented by September 8, 2018. While much of the work of licensing growers, producers, dispensaries, and physicians has taken place, a number of glitches in the state’s screening processes have caused delays in getting product market-ready by this deadline. These delays present employers who have not taken certain steps to prepare for this change a brief reprieve. What can employers do now to ensure workplace safety as Ohio’s law is fully implemented?”

Read these 10 recommendations for employers from OMA’s employment law attorney, Marie-Joëlle C. Khouzam, Partner, Bricker & Eckler, (614) 227-2311. 9/6/2018

BWC’s Fact Sheet on Medical Marijuana

Medical marijuana will soon be legal in Ohio, and the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) has developed a fact sheet outlining the impact of medical marijuana on Ohio’s workers’ compensation system. 9/5/2018

BWC Subrogation Rule Goes into Effect

From OMA Connections Partner Bricker & Eckler: “Effective September 13, 2018, a change in Ohio workers’ compensation laws permits employers to request subrogation for motor vehicle accidents where the at-fault, third-party is not issued a citation.

“Previously, employers could request to charge the surplus fund for at-fault, third-party motor vehicle accidents only if the at-fault party was issued a citation. This created problems for many employers …

” … The new law permits employers … to file an AC-28 application even when the third-party is not issued a citation, so long as there is other documentation to demonstrate that the third-party was primarily liable.

“Additionally, the law will be applied retroactively to any claim occurring on or after July 1, 2017. The BWC is already accepting applications from employers where an AC-28 was previously denied. New applications for claims dating back to July 1, 2017, will be accepted after September 13, 2018.”

If you have a claim involving a motor vehicle accident and your employee was not at fault, you may qualify for subrogation. Contact your OMA workers’ comp account manager or Bricker’s Sue Roudebush for more information. 9/5/2018

Caught Red-Handed

Jim Wernecke, Director, BWC Special Investigations Department says it’s getting harder and harder for the criminally minded to rip off BWC and the State Insurance Fund and get away with it.

Jim recently presented Special Investigations Department’s annual report for FY2018, which closed June 30, to the BWC board.

He reported:

• We closed 1,622 fraud cases, 448 more than in 2017.
• We secured 101 convictions of claimants, employers and health care providers who defrauded our agency.
• For every dollar we spent on our efforts, we saved the state fund nearly five ($4.81), or $1.33 more than last year.
• We reduced our investigation time per case by 23 days on average, our lowest number on this measure since 2005.
• All told, we saved the state fund $60.1 million in 2018, a 44 percent jump over 2017’s numbers.

Read more here. 8/24/2018