Workers’ Compensation Process  

Ø         Healthcare Human Resources will complete and submit the Employer’s Report of Occupational Injury or Illness to the third-party administrator Octagon Risk Services as soon as the claim form is received from the department.

Ø         Octagon Risk Services will review  the claim and determine what benefits the employee is eligible to receive.  The claim administrator or claim assistant may contact the employee and supervisor/department for information. 

Ø         ORS notifies the employee by mail and by phone whether claim is accepted, delayed, or denied.

Ø         If the injury is delayed or denied, employee should file for disability benefits. Contact LaKeisha Cummings, Healthcare Human Resources Benefits, x40500 for disability packet.

Ø         If the injury is approved as work related and the employee receives a temporary disability check from ORS, Healthcare Human Resources Workers’ Compensation will immediately notify the department.  Options letter is mailed out to the employee and department will receive a copy.

Ø            This will effect the employee’s pay.

Ø       The employee must use his/her sick leave for first three calendar days of the leave.

Ø       The department personnel/payroll representative will process the employee’s pay manually after the first three calendar days of the leave.

Ø       Contact Healthcare Human Resources Workers’ Compensation x40500 if the employee does not have enough sick leave for the first three calendar days. 

Ø    The employee needs to immediately choose how he/she would like us to treat his/her pay.  Refer to the Comparison of Payment Options grid for a detailed explanation of each Option.  Notify Healthcare Human Resources Workers’ Compensation x40500, and the department of the Option choice:

§       Option 1 -- Employee elects to receive only the temporary disability payments.

§        Option 2-- Employee elects to use sick leave only to supplement the temporary disability payment.

§        Option 3-- Employee elects to use sick leave and vacation time to supplement the temporary disability payment.

Ø  If the employee exhausts accrued sick leave (Option 2 or 3), remains disabled and continues to receive temporary disability payments, the employee is eligible to receive Extended Sick Leave (ESL) payments for a maximum of 26 weeks for any one injury or illness.  Extended Sick Leave constitutes an advance against permanent disability payments.  Healthcare Human Resources and the department will coordinate this benefit for the employee.