SECTION 110: MINOR INJURIES
At Lovell Safety Management Co., an effective way for group members to avoid indexing of numerous claims — which results in a higher experience rating assignment — is to assume payment of medical bills for employees’ minor injuries. (Please see instructions below.) Pursuant to Section 110 of the Workers’ Compensation Law employers are not required to report a claim and may assume payment of minor medical bills if the employee:
- Sustains a compensable injury
- Suffers no permanent disability as a result of the injury
- Loses a maximum of one workday beyond the date of injury
- Requires no more than two treatments by a medical provider rendering first aid
The employer may reap significant financial benefits, through improved experience ratings, by paying the cost of the required medical service. Whereas the employer does NOT have to report the claim to the Workers’ Compensation Board or insurance carrier, if he/she elects to assume payment of the medical costs for minor injury cases, a C–2F form MUST still be properly and completely filled out and kept in company records for 18 years. In addition, the employer should also prepare a Supervisor’s Incident Report Form.
HOW TO PAY A MINOR MEDICAL BILL
An injured employee should be supplied with a letter of notification to present to the medical provider at the initial visit in those instances when the employer has elected to pay for minor medical. Click here for a sample letter that you may copy onto your company’s letterhead. When you receive a bill from a medical provider, you may submit a copy to Lovell Safety Management so that we can determine to correct amount to pay. Bills for review may be faxed (212-269-6212) or emailed (claims@lovellsafety.com) to our offices.
WHAT HAPPENS IF THE EMPLOYEE LOSES MORE TIME FROM WORK OR REQUIRES ADDITIONAL TREATMENT
In the event an employee eventually starts to lose time from work or requires additional treatment as a result of a work–related injury which was originally treated as a minor medical claim and paid directly by the employer, the employer can legally report the claim using the previously prepared and retained Form C-2F. The carrier cannot deny liability for failure to notify, since the original injury did not require filing.
