Service Spotlight: Managing and handling claims

When your employees are injured or your property is damaged, the way your claim is handled matters. It matters that claims representatives are available and familiar with your entity when you report losses. It matters that they quickly acknowledge reported incidents. And, it matters how the claim is managed to ease worries from start to finish.

Last year VRSA handled more than 8,400 workers’ compensation and property and liability claims, approving more than 85 percent of those received. In fact, more than 70 percent of claims reported received a response from a VRSA claims representative on the same day they were filed.

There are a few steps members can take to help manage the claim. VRSA has developed “Steps to take” guides for members to utilize following an automobile accident, following a property incident, or following notice of lawsuit/complaint.

Preserving evidence

Common types of physical evidence that should be preserved include:

  • Documents/files
  • Vehicles
  • Equipment
  • Tools
  • Footwear
  • Allegedly defective products

Additionally, entities should keep all data that is created, communicated, and stored in digital form whether on a business or personal device. This includes:

  • Traditional hard storage devices like servers and computers
  • Black box data (or EDR, “Event Data Recorders”)
  • Smart systems in cars
  • Smartphones & tablets
  • Cloud accounts
  • Email
  • Social media accounts
  • Removable media (e.g. USB drives)
  • Wearable technology (e.g. Apple Watch, Fitbit, etc.)

Data should be retained at least through the running of the statute of limitations. We encourage you to work with your attorney to determine the correct retention period for data types.

Ensuring your staff knows the proper steps to take to gather and retain evidence and information following an accident or incident is important to ensure optimal claims handling.

For those reporting workers’ compensation injuries, your assigned and dedicated claims representative will report the claims on your behalf to the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission promptly. They will provide your injured worker with a notice of rights and responsibilities and will work with your injured employee to gather all the facts and information needed to determine compensability.

Additionally, VRSA keeps an updated, valid, panel of physicians available online. The panel is designed to assist in referring the injured employee to a physician best qualified to respond to the employee’s needs.

Our professional claims staff have an average of 15 years of experience in managing claims, multiple certifications, and are dedicated to ensuring things go right for injured employees or when your property is damaged.