As with other businesses in the State of California, Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFEs) are mandated to have workers compensation insurance. These important policies are put in place to help safeguard employee health and overall well-being in situations where they sustain injury or fall ill while performing facility duties. They usually enable employees to receive compensation for lost wages, medical costs, and work-based rehabilitation expenses among other things. If you own or operate an RCFE, you may be concerned about what may happen if a staff member files a workers compensation claim. Don’t panic, as the experts at InsureMyRCFE.com are here to provide guidance.
Keep Calm & Take Things One Step at a Time
While workers compensation issues can be stressful for RCFE management and employees alike, it is essential to remain as calm and clear headed as possible throughout the process. Listen carefully to what the employee has to say, and try not to jump to conclusions until you have all of the facts. Ultimately, you want to make sure that your injured or ill staff member gets all of the assistance they require while simultaneously working to keep operational disruptions to the facility itself at a minimum.
It’s also a good idea to have a meeting with all of your employees to let them know what happened and what steps you are taking to address the situation. This will help to quell any rumors or speculation that may be going around, and will show your employees that you are committed to their safety and well-being.
Gather the Incident Information
One of the first steps you should take when dealing with a workers compensation claim is to gather as much information as possible about the incident in question. This may include details on how the injury occurred, who was involved, and what medical treatment has already been provided (if any). You should also reach out to your employee’s coworkers and supervisors to get additional context on what happened.
Contact Your Insurance Provider
If you feel that a staff member has a legitimate workers compensation claim, meaning that the injury or illness stemmed from their RCFE work duties or the work environment itself, the next step you should take is reaching out to your insurance provider. As insurance carriers specialize in such policies and procedures, they should be able to address any questions and concerns you may have while clearly guiding you on how to move forward.
It is also quite possible that they will need you to fill out and submit formal documents in order for them to successfully process the employee’s claim. All forms should be completed carefully and thoroughly, with no details left out, modified, or embellished. Depending on the specific situation, the insurance company may also dispatch a claims adjuster to evaluate the incident and obtain information directly from the affected employee.
Speak with Your Human Resources Department
As soon as you have contacted your insurance company, you should also speak with your RCFE’s own Human Resources (HR) Department and ensure that they have a comprehensive understanding of all that transpired with the injured or ill staff member. In all likelihood, that department will open an internal investigation into the matter. HR might also have additional steps, including contacting the employee’s medical provider or submitting any required paperwork for relevant federal and state agencies. Covering all of the bases with Human Resources can help protect your facility and ensure that nothing is neglected as the process goes on.
Prepare for the Future
You will also want to take steps to help prevent future claims from needing to be made. Once you have resolved the initial claim, work on reducing your risk of future incidents by identifying any common risk factors among your employees and working to eliminate or mitigate them to the best of your ability. This may include implementing new policies, training programs, or other measures that can help improve workplace safety.
InsureMyRCFE is a Top RCFE Workers Compensation Insurance Provider
For more than ten years now, countless RCFE administrators and managers have relied on InsureMyRCFE to obtain top-tier workers compensation policies at the best market-based rates. Our process is simple throughout, and allows facilities that qualify to easily click, quote, and bind their policies online in almost no time at all. Whether you are familiar with workers compensation or not, our friendly and knowledgeable RCFE insurance agents are always available to assist you.
With our in-depth industry experience and insight, we truly believe that you will not find better RCFE insurance policies and customer service with any other provider. Besides helping to locate the most appealing rates and flexible payment options, we also have an exclusive Workers Compensation Program that includes Risk Management and other highly valuable services. If you’d like to learn more about how we can help your facility with not only workers compensation but RCFE liability insurance and commercial property insurance as well, please contact us at (805) 413-5668.
