Question for HR folks re: workman's comp issue

[Keggy]

Question - does your company reimburse co-pays for workman's comp issues?

I cannot get a straight answer from our Director of HR regarding one of my employees and I am getting annoyed.

Thanks,
Kelly

 

[goofyforlife]

Having just gone through a WC experience last year......

The employee should not have any co-pays because the doctor's bills should be charged to the employer (or the employers WC insurance company).

When this is done correctly, the employee would have no co-pay. (If they were charged a co-pay, it means that the Dr billed incorrectly or that the employee did not give the Dr the WC billing info.)

Through personal experience, I gave all dr's and labs the WC info and they still billed wrong anyway...... (so had to set them straight and they had to re-bill)

 

[Maleficent13]

What goofyforlife said...if it's truly worker's comp, there are no copays, etc. It gets billed in its entirety to the company or the company's liability carrier.

 

[Tigger_Magic]

I went through a worker's comp issue... NO co-pays, deductibles, coinsurance, etc. I paid $0 out of pocket for any medical treatment and received no bills. Everything went to the employer's insurer. (In fact, some providers eyes seemed to actually light up when the magical words "workers comp" were spoken.)

 

[Keggy]

Thank you - you have all just proven my point. I really appreciate it.

Trying to make a long story short...Everywhere I have previously worked we have referred the employee to a specific dr who handled our Workman's comp claims. And they billed us.

Well, our HR director told me she doesn't know what to do.... Gives me a lot of confidance in her...

Thanks again,
Kelly

 

[marycaym]

Speaking from experience - my DH had a serious injury in 2001 that has been ongoing with a knee reoconstruction and most recently a full knee relacement, you can get reimbursements from worker's comp. For example, if you fill a prescription and the pharmacy does not have your comp info on file, you can use your own prescription card, pay your copay and be reimbursed the money you were out. We have been doing this for 5 years for prescriptions, a walker, a shower bench, etc. Just make she/he saves all her receipts and then get the name of the workers comp co. from your HR dept and submit them.

Good luck, workers comp can be a nasty beast!

 

[barkley]

it also depends on how the wkcomp is written up. some do not cover follow up care unless THEY (their med staff) deems it necessary (same with time off for pt and the like-some only cover the full time off due to the injury but not when you come back to work and have on-going time off for medical appts., pt and the like). if someone is getting reimbursed for their co-pays by wkcomp it usualy means their private med carrier is paying, and technicaly that provider should be notified of the wk comp. case because they should be billing the wkcomp insurer to cover what they are paying out (the person should make sure they do this because if they have a lifetime medical cap for coverage these payments are counting against it-if wkcomp reimburses for it they will not count against it).

so the hr person should know to look at the wkcomp coverage as well as any union contracts that may impact it (i worked in a place where depending on your union representation/classification your coverage/waiting period for pay continuation varied tremendously). alot of companies have a risk managment division that handles this exclusivly, but most times they will not speak to a supervisor because wkcomp is between the employer and the employee and there are laws akin to hiipa that preclude anyone other than the employee or the designated wkcomp person within the company from exchanging information).

 

[Stacy_C]

I was a workers' comp. paralegal for 6 years. The other posters are correct. You should not have to pay out a dime (co-pays, prescriptions, travel expenses, etc.).

Stacy