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Member Helper: AWB Helps Seattle Firm Save on Workers’ Comp Claim |
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Written On: November/December 2003 |
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Dependable Building Maintenance Company, a Seattle-based small business, had problems with a workers’ comp claim that threatened to cost the company upwards of $100,000. After exhausting his appeals and hitting a stone wall, CEO Ralph Davis called the Association of Washington Business (AWB) for help.
Debra Brown, AWB’s vice president for member services, stepped up to the challenge. Debra, who works with the Dept. of Labor and Industries (L&I) on behalf of CompWise and our members participating in the program, called L&I’s Kathy Kimble to explain the problem and seek relief for Dependable.
Debra’s assistance paid off for Dependable, saving the company thousands of dollars.
“Personal service is what distinguishes AWB from our competitors,” AWB President Don Brunell said. “We get tremendous satisfaction from helping our members solve their problems with government and saving them money, time, and peace of mind.”
Here’s the Scoop on Dependable
When a claim is reported, L&I sends a notice to the employer via regular mail. The employer has 60 days to protest the claim. If the claim is not protested during this 60-day period it becomes final and binding.
Sometimes letters sent by regular mail don’t always reach the intended recipient. L&I assigned Dependable a claim that didn’t belong to them and the original claim notification was never received by Dependable or Sedgwick CMS (formerly Johnston Culberson, Inc.), one of the companies that administers CompWise for AWB.
The claim belonged to an individual who did not work for the company on the date of injury, but by the time Dependable discovered this fact, the 60-day deadline had passed and L&I had “permanently” assigned it to their account. For almost two years, Sedgwick CMS and Dependable repeatedly protested the claim but were unsuccessful in getting L&I to remove the claim from Dependable’s experience.
That’s when Debra Brown stepped in and called L&I on the company’s behalf, encouraging the agency to “step outside the box.”
L&I Did the Right Thing for Dependable
“In this situation, it makes sense to give the employer the benefit of the doubt because claim orders are sent by regular mail and are not certified,” Brown explained to L&I. “Understandably, the owner of Dependable was very frustrated that he was being wrongly charged with a claim that adversely affected his experience and costs.”
“To L&I’s credit,” she added, “the agency did the right thing and removed the claim from Dependable’s experience.” L&I agreed to go back and recalculate Dependable’s experience (MOD) factor for 2002.
AWB Member Helper Program Helps Members
“Over the years, our expert staff has helped our members with a whole range of problems from taxes to permits, from workers’ comp to unemployment insurance,” Brunell said. “It is what sets AWB apart from the competition.”
“While we have differences with agencies over regulations and approaches,” Brunell added, “we maintain a professional working relationship with regulators so we can help our members when they run into problems with government.”
To review some of AWB’s past “Member Helper” efforts, visit our website: www.awb.org or look through back issues of Washington Business.
Remember, one of the values of your AWB Membership is our Member Helper Program.
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