May Monthly Luncheon - Workers Compensation Update

Workers Compensation Update

Employers have a major role to play in managing their workers’ compensation costs and often this role falls to HR, either directly or indirectly. The better employers and their HR managers understand workers’ compensation, the roles they can and should be playing, what to expect from their insurance carrier and treating doctors, the better job they can do in controlling their costs.

In Texas employers are not required to carry workers’ compensation insurance. Even if an employer chooses not to carry workers’ compensation insurance, job related injury situations need to be managed.

The longer an injured employee is away from work, the higher the employers’ costs are and the worse the impact of the injury is on the employee. Eliminating unnecessary lost time is a critical factor. Understanding the causes of unnecessary lost time and how to mitigate those causes is essential.

This session provides information and tools to address and avoid issues that result from medically unnecessary lost time. Costly turnover is eliminated; business and workers’ compensation costs are significantly reduced. Learn how to be proactive in managing issues around job related injury, participate in the management of claims, and avoid some of the pitfalls often faced by employers in getting injured employees back to work after an injury.

Speaker Bio:

Pat Crawford is a Workers’ Compensation/Return to Work Specialist for the Division of Workers’ Compensation.

Prior to joining the Division, she was a Workers’ Compensation Specialist and HR Manager for Levi Strauss & Co. She managed workers’ compensation, as well as legislative and regulatory matters, in 13 states. She served on the Board of Directors for the Texas Workers’ Compensation Insurance Fund (Texas Mutual Insurance) for nine (9) years.  She has participated in numerous committees and activities addressing workers’ compensation and labor concerns across the country.

Her business background has provided hands-on experience in dealing with the difficulties often faced by employers in controlling workers’ compensation costs and getting injured workers back to work following a work-related illness or injury.