Tag: Certificates

Have a Work Comp Audit soon?

Here are 7 tips for a Smooth Workers Compensation Audit

Find the best advice for a smooth workers compensation audit at myinsurancequestion.com

Each year all businesses must go through a workers compensation audit process. If you are like most small business owners, this is not one of your favorite parts of owning a business.  The process can be long a tidious, but the more prepared you are for this process, the more quick and more smooth the process will be. Consulting with your independent insurance agent can help you prepare for the process and make sure the audit is done well the first time through the process. Here are 7 ways to ensure this process goes as painless as possible.

Communicate with your agent.

Open communication with your insurance agent is essential to a smooth workers compensation audit. This is a reason why it is important to consider an independent insurance agent.  An independent agent is not as closely associated to the insurance carrier.  They can help you prepare for the audit and negotiate on your behalf if anything does not go in your favor. Open communication throughout your relationship with your insurance agent is essential to a satisfied experience during your small businesses workers comp audit.

Have paperwork prepared in advance

Having all necessary paperwork prepared in advance of your audit will make the process move as smooth as it possibly can.  This includes any and all payroll and employee records.  Job descriptions need to be included for each employee and their annual weeks, days and hours worked.  The more detailed the better.

Payment and cash disbursement records,

Throughout the year it is important to keep a record of all payments and cash disbursement.  Not having these available and organized is a good reason to have the auditor dig a little deeper. The more open, honest and organized you are throughout the entire audit process the more smooth the process will be.

Certificates of Insurance 

In order to ensure a smooth workers compensation audit, make sure to keep a detailed record of all needed certificates of insurance for any and all sub-contractors or independent contractors your business used. The primary reason for providing these documents is that if you do not, these contractors will be listed as employees and it can substantially raise what you pay in premium.

Experience Modification Worksheet

The experience modification worksheet is a document that is published annually by the rating bureau in your state.  It covers the loss history for your business during the most recent three-year period, not including the most recent year.  The most recent year is not included due to overlap from some claims not being closed.  If you have had a large claims or a large amount of minor claims during any year it is important to have this worksheet available in order to show the true loss history of your business.

Make yourself available for the exit interview 

After a typically smooth workers compensation audit there is an exit interview at some time.  It usually lasts several hours and is a way for the auditor to ensure they have all the necessary information to accurately audit your business. The more up-front you are with the auditor the more smooth the process will be.

Respond promptly to auditor follow-up questions  

There will more than likely be questions you do not have the answer to, the auditor will have for you during the audit.  The more quick and more thorough you respond to these questions the more the auditor will work with you to promptly and accurately finish the audit process.  The time period after the audit, before the auditor will finish the process, normally takes two to three weeks. There may be additional questions that need clarification.  This may be a frustrating part of the process, but the more accurate the audit is the better it is for your company.  Your agent can help you with any of these questions if you are having a trouble finding the exact information to satisfy the auditor.  It is also important to keep in mind that for security purposes, the auditor does not keep your payroll records.  You very likely will be asked to provide additional information or records that you have already provided.

An Accurate audit is in your best interest, moreso than a fast audit.  This process is frustrating even during a good audit.  It will take time away from your normal work, but it is within your best interest to ensure your audit is fair and accurate. Keep a positive attitude and consult your independent insurance agent in order to ensure your audit process goes as smoothly as possible.

What are the main benefits of a Business Owner’s Policy (BOP)?

A Business Owner’s Policy is a tailored insurance package for businesses in a particular industry. The package can be adjusted to fit the needs of each individual business, but they come in common packages specific to each industry. Insurance companies have found certain coverage’s common to each industry and attempt to get business owner’s as fully covered as possible. Most include General Liability, Professional Liability and Business Property Insurance. With a business owner’s policy insurance companies can make sure there are no gaps in coverage and make sure the business is not carrying too much or unnecessary coverage. Carrying a BOP benefits a business owner in three main ways.

Pricing is the main benefit that first attracts business owner’s to carrying a Business Owner’s Policy. Insurance companies are more likely to give businesses a break on price if they are selling that business multiple policies. Business Owner’s may be able to call around and get a better price on each individual policy, but that is time spent not working. With the help of a good insurance agent a business owner can allow the agent to shop the policy around to many insurance carriers. This allows the agent to negotiate the best price and the most complete coverage. For this reason it is important to choose an insurance agent who has relationships with many insurance providers, not just a select few. Many agencies work exclusively with just a few carriers and this does not allow the agent to shop around your policy if you are in a tough classification code or have a negative claims history.

Ensuring there are No Gaps in Coverage is the next benefit of a BOP. Shopping around for each individual policy takes lots of valuable time for business owner’s. In most cases it does not save the business as much as getting a quantity discount by combining coverage’s. A more important benefit of a BOP is making certain there are no gap’s in coverage. When businesses shop their policies around a la carte it can cause there to be grey area’s between exclusion’s that are not covered.  If all policies are bought from one carrier the insurance provider can guarantee you are fully insured.

For instance, businesses that get a general liability policy from one insurance carrier and a professional liability policy from another carrier may have an exclusion in both policies that make the occurrence not covered. This is where insurance has many grey areas. When an incident occurs the business will more than likely have to wait longer while the insurance companies determine who is liable for the incident or if anyone is liable for the occurrence at all. If you have a BOP with just one carrier typically there is General Liability, Professional Liability and an Umbrella Policy. In this case the insurance company just determines which policy is in effect and processes your claim.

Certificates are the final way businesses benefit from BOP’s. Certificates are needed when businesses are involved in projects they are contracted on. A certificate is legally required before work can start on that project. If you work on many projects with different general contractor’s than you will need this certificate for every general contractor you work with. If you have a BOP that is one phone call only.  For example, many artisan contractors do work for several general contractors. Take an electrician as an example. For each general contractor an electrician does a project for they need a certificate proving insurance coverage. If each coverage is with a different carrier that is an additional call the electrician has to make. If that electrician has a BOP they call one agent and can get a certificate for all of their policies.

Again, these are three of the many benefits of having a Business Owner’s Policy. The next time your business is up for renewal it is probably best for you to bring up a BOP with your agent. Insurance carriers are typically more aggressive with discounts when they are getting more of your business.