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Services
> Handicap Reimbursement
Handicap
reimbursement is designed to encourage employers to hire
and retain an employee with a handicap condition or an employee
with a military service handicap. If a handicapped employee
suffers a lost-time industrial injury/disease and files
a workers’ compensation claim, the employer may request
a percentage of the costs in the claim be removed from their
experience.
Purpose
Handicap
reimbursement is granted when it is determined that a pre-existing
handicap condition prolonged or delayed normal recovery.
If a handicap reimbursement is granted, a percentage of
the claim costs will be charged to the statutory surplus
fund instead of the employer’s experience.
Benefits
- The
percentage granted, ranging from 0 to 100 percent, is
deducted from the experience of the employer and subsequently
charged to the statutory surplus fund.
- Handicap
reimbursement applications are considered even when a
claim is settled.
Process
- Hunter
Consulting Company account managers review medical documentation
to identify any pre-existing condition in any claim with
disability compensation and/or salary continuation payments.
- If
a qualifying condition is identified, Hunter Consulting
begins to establish documentation to show the extent the
pre-existing condition prolonged or delayed normal recovery.
- If
there is significant supporting documentation Hunter will
file an Application for Handicap Reimbursement (CHP-4A)
for consideration by the BWC.
- Hunter
may represent the employer at a BWC administrator hearing
to establish the relationship between the pre-existing
condition and the subsequent injury be way of aggravation
or delayed recovery by medial proof on file.
- The
BWC administrator decides the percentage of the reimbursement
and issues an order directing the BWC’s Risk Technical
Department to adjust the employer’s premium for the time
the claim remains in the employer’s experience period.
The percentage award is entered into the records of the
employer’s state fund risk account.
Eligibility
Claims
that have deductible compensation paid in them may be eligible,
including Temporary Total disability, Permanent Total disability,
Death Benefits and Salary Continuation. Employers not eligible
for the handicap reimbursement are non-complying employers
and out-of-business employers, self-insuring employers who
have opted out of the program and did not list the claim
on the buyout agreement, bankrupt employers (requests are
reviewed on a case by case basis; some bankrupt employers
may qualify for a reimbursement), and state agencies and
universities.
Application
Deadlines
- State
Fund Employer claims must be filed by 6/30 of the
sixth year after the date of injury.
Example: 2006 injury must have application filed
by 6/30/2012
- Public
Employer claims must be filed by 12/31 of the fifth
year after the date of injury.
Example: 2006 injury must have application filed
by 12/31/2011
- Self-Insuring
Employers still in the program must file claims by five
years from the date of injury.
Example: 2006 injury must be file by date of injury
in 2011.
Contact
us for more information.
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