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COVID and Workers Compensation: Common Questions Answered

October 13, 2021 • Missouri Employers Mutual

COVID has impacted everyone and every type of business. The workers compensation industry is no exception. Navigating those impacts and making business decisions accordingly can seem daunting.

We’re here to ensure you have the right information to help you move forward with confidence.

Watch below as Roger Walleck, MEM’s VP and Chief Underwriting Officer, discusses common questions about COVID and workers compensation.

How has COVID impacted the insurance carriers?

Political decisions influence many of the regulations surrounding coverage of COVID-related work comp claims. The pandemic is an unprecedented situation. For this reason, insurance carriers faced uncertainty. One challenge has been understanding what emergency declarations mean for our policyholders.

Carriers have also had to speculate about how many COVID claims to expect and how serious they might be. We found that while there were a lot of claims, many of them were report only. We are still monitoring the ones that do have a medical component. Medical professionals still aren’t sure what the long-term impacts of COVID will be.

How has COVID affected work comp for employers?

The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) decided to exclude all COVID-related claims from an employer’s experience modification (e-mod). This means COVID-related claims won’t factor into calculations determining a business’s work comp premium. To help cover the cost of these claims, carriers are creating catastrophe funds. To fund these, insurance providers are adding a small charge based on a policyholder’s payroll.

COVID claims can be complex. MEM has developed a systematic and consistent approach for COVID-related work comp claims. Our policyholders and agent partners can be confident that all claims are being handled the same.

Professionals work in an office wearing masks and social distancing

Resources about COVID and workers compensation

Want to learn more about COVID and workers compensation? Check out COVID and Workplace Safety: 5 Things the Pandemic Taught Us. For more resources, visit MEM’s COVID-19 Resource Center for Employers.

Date
October 13, 2021
Author
Missouri Employers Mutual
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