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Louisiana benefit raises school tuition money for children of injured workersBATON ROUGE—Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Corporation reached out to the community this year by hosting a golf tournament to benefit Louisiana’s newest charity, Kids’ Chance of Louisiana. The tournament, held Oct. 6, raised more than $20,000. Launched in Louisiana by the Louisiana Bar Foundation, Kids’ Chance provides educational scholarships to children whose parents or guardians have been killed or permanently and totally disabled in work-related accidents in the state. The charity was started by the Georgia Bar Association and is now in 23 states. The tournament idea came from LWCC’s board of directors, who wanted to find a worthwhile cause directly related to workers’ compensation. “Since LWCC is a workers’ comp company and we’ve handled thousands of lost-time claims over the years, we know very well the position a family can be in when a parent is badly hurt or killed on the job. That is why we thought Kids’ Chance would be a perfect fit for our charity golf tournament,” said Robert Levy, LWCC’s director of communications. To raise awareness and money for this worthy cause, LWCC, the state’s largest writer of workers’ compensation insurance, designed a golf tournament with a unique twist to better compete with some 50 other charity tournaments in the Baton Rouge area. It was an invitational geared toward business and community leaders as well as insurance agents, and was offered free to the golfers. LWCC’s communications department organized and ran the event, along with the help of LWCC and Kids’ Chance volunteers the day of the tournament. The LWCC-Kids’ Chance Invitational Golf Tournament drew 106 players and nearly 40 corporate sponsors, including top sponsors Davis Hamilton Jackson and Associates, AFM International, Merrill Lynch Private Client Group, Milliman USA, Guy Carpenter and Company, and Wright and Percy Insurance. The sponsorships funded most of the tournament revenues, and players made substantial tax-deductible contributions as well through golfing contests, mulligans and a raffle. The $20,000 raised for the charity, which is in its first year in Louisiana, will fund scholarships next school year for qualified applicants. Even though workers’ compensation insurance provides financial assistance to families when a parent is hurt on the job, there are still unmet needs, like school tuition. This charity fills an important gap by making scholarships available to Louisiana residents between ages 16 and 25. Applicants must demonstrate financial need as well as meet other qualifications. Any accredited Louisiana university, community, technical or vocational college, or state-approved proprietary school qualifies. Scholarships may be used for tuition, books, fees, room and general living expenses.
AlbertaOn Nov. 6, Alberta announced its 2004 premium rates, which will increase from $1.89 to $1.98 per $100 of insurable earnings. Although not all provinces have officially announced their rates, early numbers indicate that Alberta’s rates will be second lowest among Canada’s provinces. Despite the rate increase, 43 percent of employers will see a reduction in their premiums in 2004. The number of workers and employers continues to grow in the province while the lost-time claim rate is down to 2.8 per 100 workers. Alberta attributes this decrease to the workforce’s commitment and focus on safety. Alberta’s economy is experiencing steady growth
reflected in the growth of insurable earnings. The year-end forecast for
2003 is $44.4 billion—an 8.6 percent increase from 2002. Trends to
date also show a forecasted provincial wage growth of 2.9 percent, and
workforce growth from 1.34 million workers to 1.47 million.
ArizonaAs California politicians look at Arizona’s workers’ compensation system as a model for their state to follow, the San Diego Business Journal invited SCF of Arizona’s President and CEO Don Smith to address its Workers’ Compensation Reform seminar Nov. 12. The educational event attracted more than 1,100 California business leaders seeking answers on how to right that state’s troubled work comp system. A month earlier, the International Association
of Business Communicators awarded SCF of Arizona three Silver Quill Awards
of Merit at its regional conference in Austin, Texas. Winning entries
were for SCF’s external publication AZ@Work, its 2002 Annual Report,
and its public relations campaign to convince policyholders to call, write,
fax or e-mail legislators and convince them not to support attempts to
sell off SCF’s assets.
ColoradoThe communications team at Colorado’s Pinnacol Assurance, which
handles all internal and external communications, earned awards in three
different competitions in 2003. In July, the team won two APEX 2003 Awards
of Excellence for its redesign of company informational materials and
for Pinnacol Assurance’s print advertising campaign. In August, Pinnacol
Assurance’s 2001 Annual Report earned a third-place award in the
AASCIF 2003 Communications Awards. In September, the team was awarded
a Silver Pick Award from the Public Relations Society of America for its
internal communications efforts surrounding Pinnacol Assurance’s
2002 move to Lowry. The PRSA awards honor the best public relations programs
and components and the people responsible for creating them. Pinnacol
Assurance’s communications team is led by Corinne Mahoney and includes
Michelle Barnes, Terry Eldrige, Ivan Hurtado and Mary LaLone.
KentuckyKEMI again sponsored the Women Leaders in Insurance, Challenges &
Rewards conference in October. More than 200 participants met in Louisville
to discuss women’s challenges and rewards in the insurance industry.
This year’s keynote speaker, Connie Glaser, author of several books
including What Queen Esther Knew, challenged women to: have mentors and
be mentors, step up to the plate and stand up for their convictions, and
take control of their lives and dictate their own paths.
MaineMEMIC Safety Academy has earned authorization from the International Association of Continuing Education and Training to provide continuing education units to those completing the academy’s safety workshops. MEMIC Safety Academy is the first entity in Maine and is one of just four insurers in New England to earn this authorization. Each year nearly 10,000 workers complete safety workshops through MEMIC, which are free to policyholders. MEMIC will host 500 of its policyholders’ top managers at its annual
MEMIC Comp Summit. The two-day conference is free to policyholders. The
event includes seminars on the insurance marketplace, the regional economy
and how communication enhances workplace safety and risk management programs.
Breakout sessions will include an exploration of the relationship between
workplace culture and safety as well as a session on ergonomics. The claims
management track includes a program on the diagnosis and treatment of
occupational exposure injuries.
MarylandIWIF recently created a third-party administration division, Lighthouse Risk Solutions Inc., to address the growing claims management and loss control needs of medium to large self-insured companies in Maryland. IWIF’s new division will operate as a non-risk-bearing profit center providing an additional stream of revenue for the company. Lighthouse Risk Solutions will initially market fee-based claims management and loss control services. To promote on-the-job safety among Maryland working teens, IWIF developed a teachers’ guide, Train the Trainer: Safety for Young Workers. The guide helps vocational-technical high school teachers incorporate job safety into their curricula. It provides tip sheets and other support materials to help teachers educate students about their rights to work in a safe environment, about the latest safety requirements, and how to prevent industry-specific injuries in jobs that typically employ teens. Expanding the scope in 2004, IWIF will launch a poster campaign and brochure that directly targets working teens.
MinnesotaAn overall average increase of 9.7 percent is anticipated in the cost of coverage in 2004 for policyholders of State Fund Mutual. The biggest driver of pricing increases is steeply rising medical costs, which are being studied by a state task force in preparation for legislative action expected in the ‘04 session. Online reporting of claims hit a weekly record-high of 52 percent during October. Online reporting typically has been running around 45 percent over the past several months. Overall, the rate of reports submitted online has more than doubled in the past two years. SFM had focused on engineering out of its workflow unnecessary document retention. The cost of imaging technology has now declined to a level where State Fund Mutual considers this more reliably cost effective for further gains. Imaging will be implemented in claims operations starting in January 2004.
MissouriMEM’s rates will increase an average 4.8 percent in 2004, the lowest increase in three years. Depending on the loss experience in each rate classification, some rates will increase and others will decrease. Contributing factors for the increases include medical and indemnity benefits, which rose approximately 12 percent during the year, and continuing high reinsurance costs. To further enhance service, MEM is increasing the premium limit for business
that can be submitted for issue without prior quoting on iNet, its e-business
website. Beginning with Jan. 1 new business, accounts less than $25,000
can be submitted for issue on iNet, up from $10,000.
New MexicoPresident and CEO Chris Krahling is pleased to announce that Robert J.
Kellogg officially assumed his role as COO on Oct. 13 and Louis Volk III
assumed his role as CFO on Oct. 20 for New Mexico Mutual Group. Kellogg’s
experience includes COO of a workers’ compensation and medical malpractice
insurance company, president and CEO of a regional multi-line mutual insurance
company and most recently managing partner for a financial and insurance
consulting firm to client CEOs, senior managers and board members. Kellogg
specialized in developing strategies for capital enhancement, organization
governance, structural alternatives and strategic financial planning.
Volk has more than 20 years of financial experience. Volk comes from the
St. Joseph Healthcare Systems, where he held several positions from senior
accountant, accounting supervisor, director of budget and reimbursement,
director of planning, director of financial services, vice president and
CFO and most recently senior vice president and CFO.
New YorkNYSIF’s new interactive services, eBILL and CONNECTS, are now available to all policyholders online, making workers’ compensation account management easier for customers. NYSIF eBILL allows access to a detailed account summary of up-to-date transactions. Customers can check posted payments, balances, minimum due, due date, and view or print any of their billing statements—without the need to call NYSIF. CONNECTS (Clients on Net-NYSIF Electronic Claims Tracking System) gives policyholders an online claims management tool through access to a summary screen of information generated by NYSIF’s electronic Claims Handling System. NYSIF also is rolling out a multi-phased electronic quote and application process that will interface with its Premium Calculator and Loss Control Information systems to facilitate workflow, improve service, prevent quote “shopping” and ensures accurate, uniform pricing. Six more NYSIF employees have earned the Workers’ Compensation Certified
Professional designation by the American Society of Workers’ Compensation
Professionals.
North DakotaWorkforce Safety and Insurance, formerly North Dakota Workers’ Compensation,
is in the process of searching for a new executive director and chief
executive officer. A search committee was put in place by the Board of
Directors in November. WSI’s website, WorkforceSafety.com, will be
utilized to advertise the position and gather prospective names and resumes
from candidates. The search committee will narrow the field of applicants
and submit three names for the Board to consider. Board Chairman Dave
Ystebo hopes to have someone in place to run the organization by March
or April. Currently WSI is being managed by a committee appointed by the
Board consisting of five executive vice presidents.
Northwest Territories/NunavutDavid Clark has been appointed president and chief executive officer of the Workers’ Compensation Board of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Clark was vice president of operations for Nunavut. He brings six years of combined WCB experience with the board and previously the WHSCC of Newfoundland and Labrador. Clark has also served as assistant deputy minister for Occupational Health and Safety for the government of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Nova ScotiaDavid Stuewe, CEO of the Workers’ Compensation Board of Nova Scotia, has accepted a secondment to the Faculty of Management’s Centre for Risk Management at Dalhousie University. Nancy MacCready-Williams, vice president, Client Services, has been Acting CEO this fall. Stuart MacLean, Prevention and Assessment Services, will assume the Acting CEO role in January 2004. During this period the Board will undertake a search for a new CEO. Canada’s highest court has found that certain sections of Nova Scotia’s Workers’ Compensation Act and the Functional Restoration Program Regulations violate the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms by discriminating against injured workers. The court also found that the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Tribunal has the authority to determine questions of constitutional law. Following extensive consultation with workers and employers across Nova Scotia, the WCB has recommended to Government changes to the province’s workers’ compensation system. Key among the recommendations is an increase in the annual indexing of workers’ compensation benefits to help pensions better keep pace with inflation, and elimination of the three-worker rule. Repealing this rule will ensure all workers in industries where workers’ compensation is required are covered in the event of a workplace accident.
OklahomaCompSource Oklahoma employees illustrated their giving spirit in a very
tangible way by raising nearly $40,000 during July and August as one of
the local pacesetters for Oklahoma’s State Charitable Campaign, which
benefits United Way. CompSource has established a consistent history of
generosity to the community through the United Way campaign. Because of
its prior successes, CompSource Oklahoma President and CEO Terry McCullar
was selected chairman for the 2003 United Way Pacesetters program for
all state agencies. The $40,000 was raised through personal pledges and
departmental fund-raisers. CompSource employees continue to set an admirable
goal for other agencies to emulate.
Rhode IslandThe Rhode Island Workers’ Compensation Act was amended with minimal
changes. This year’s legislative initiative focused on securing statutorily
mandated workers’ compensation coverage in response to The Station
nightclub tragedy. The Workers’ Compensation Court now has the power
to adjudicate such issues. The consequences for not having insurance were
toughened with criminal penalties, and the duties of investigation and
enforcement are now split between the Department of Labor and Training
and the Workers’ Compensation Court. In addition, the power of the
director to suspend the operation of a business has been both broadened
and toughened. Additional changes to the Act:
West Virginia
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On
Oct. 1, the Workers’ Compensation Division, formerly under the direction
of the Bureau of Employment Programs, became a stand-alone agency known
as the Workers’ Compensation Commission. Patterning its operation
after a corporate structure branded by a new logo, the commission is headed
by an executive director answerable to a board of managers. The establishment
of the commission is a result of major reform legislation passed in July
that included numerous benefit and financial revisions to assist the agency
in its efforts to regain control of the system and reduce its unfunded
liability.