Industry News
Author, Jeremy Hoolihan, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Reporting workers’ compensation claims in a timely manner can have a huge impact on the severity of the claim. Some policyholders believe the practice of not reporting employee injuries early is a good business practice. This could not be further from the truth.
Author, Alyssa Burley, Client Services Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc,
On September 30, 2018, California Governor Jerry Brown, approved Senate Bill 1343 (SB 1343), which expands rules for required sexual harassment prevention training for businesses.
Currently, employers with 50 or more employees must provide supervisors with sexual harassment prevention training every two years. By January 1, 2020, employers with 5 more employees must provide at least 2 hours of sexual harassment prevention training and at least 1 hour of training to non-supervisory employees. The trainings are required every 2 years.
Author, Sam Clayton, Vice President, Construction Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
California employers received some great news regarding their Workers Compensation premiums for 2019. On November 6, 2018, Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones recently announced his decision to cut California Workers’ Compensation advisory pure premium rates by 8.4% significantly higher than the initial recommended 4.5%. This change will affect policies that renew or incept on or after January 1, 2019.
Author, Alyssa Burley, Client Services Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
In April 2018, federal OSHA announced all affected employers are required to submit injury and illness data (i.e., Form 300A data) via the Injury Tracking Application (ITA) online portal by July 1, 2018, even if the employer is covered by a state plan like those in California, Maryland, Minnesota, South Carolina, Utah, Washington or Wyoming.
Author, Sam Brown, Vice President, Human Services Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Human Service agencies billing Medicare may find themselves paying thousands of dollars in defense costs and regulatory fines resulting from a Medicare Recovery Audit. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, “the Medicare Fee for Service (FFS) Recovery Audit Program’s mission is to identify and correct Medicare improper payments through the efficient detection and collection of overpayments made on claims of health care services provided to Medicare beneficiaries.”
Author, Chase Hixson, Account Executive, Human Services Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking devices have become a popular topic with employers who maintain vehicle fleets. The companies want to know what the advantages are of having these devices installed on their fleet vehicles and will it reduce their insurance costs.
Author, David J Garcia, A.A.I, CRIS, President, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
I’ve written at length on the negative effects distracted driving is having on the automobile insurance industry and its impact on the rise in accidents, claim costs, and increases to your automobile premiums. But, have you considered its effects on your Experience Modification Rate (EMR) and ultimately workers’ compensation cost?
Author, Sam Clayton, Vice President Construction Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Driver selection guidelines are one of the most important things a company can implement to prevent vehicle accidents. A company should manage a written Motor Vehicle Records (MVR’s) program to assure that they are selecting the right employees to drive for the company and annually qualify each driver for desirable driving records. The following are some “best practices” guidelines that will help businesses implement and improve the driver selection process.
Author, David J. Garcia, A.A.I, CRIS, President, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
As we approach 2019, there will be several changes in the experience modification formula that directly affects the calculation of an employer's 2019 Experience Modification Rate (EMR).
Part 1 of this article describes the Primary Threshold and Expected Loss Rate. Read Part 1 of this article. Part 2 provides an overview of the changes to the EMR calculation.
Author, David J. Garcia, A.A.I, CRIS, President, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
As we approach 2019, there will be several changes in the experience modification formula that directly affects the calculation of an employer's 2019 Experience Modification Rate (EMR). Sadly, most businesses are both unaware and unprepared.
Author, Casey Craig, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
In an era where general contractors commonly require a Waiver of Subrogation from its sub-contractors before they are allowed to step foot on the jobsite, it is important to understand how a Waiver of Subrogation functions. Most companies simply tell their agent they need the waiver added to their contract, but what does this mean? How does it affect the policy?
Author, Chase Hixson, Account Executive, Human Services Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
On August 3, 2018, the California Department of Insurance will hold a public hearing regarding the proposed changes to the 8868 Class Codes.
Author, Jeremy Hoolihan, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Workers’ Compensation costs continue to be one of the most costly expenses for business owners in California. With recent reform, California has maintained steady rate decreases in the workers’ compensation marketplace. Unfortunately California still maintains some of the highest rates in the country, often times two to three times the nations average.
Author, Dave Garcia, President, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
The National Weather Service has issued heat warnings for many parts of California starting today, and excessive heat warnings for some other areas. Temperatures are expected to rise to 110ºF in some parts of the Sacramento Valley, for instance. In the desert areas of Imperial and San Diego counties, they will soar as high as 114ºF.
Author, David J. Garcia, AAI, CRIS, President, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
With the recent ruling by the California Supreme Court concerning how 1099 employees (independent contractors) are defined, the construction industry's approach to utilizing these workers has changed significantly. The Court adopted a new test to determine whether the worker should be classified as an employee or independent contractor. The previous test to determine if a worker was an employee or independent contractor was whether the employer had the right to direct the manner and means by which the worker performed the services.
Author, Sam Clayton, Vice President, Construction Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
An OSHA officer can show up to your facility or worksite for any number of reasons: employee complaints, accidents, programmed inspections, sweeps, follow-up or a drive-by observation. In order to ensure a smooth inspection, we suggest you prepare before OSHA appears at your door. Here are some key steps to take before, during and after an OSHA inspection.
Author, Chase Hixson, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
The Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California (WCIRB) recently announced plans to reclassify the 8868 (i.e., professors, teachers or academic professional employees) and 9101 (i.e., all employees other than professors, teachers, or academic professional employees) class codes under the belief that there is significant disparity between the businesses that currently fall under these two classifications. These changes are planned to go into effect January 1, 2019.
Author, Sam Brown, Vice President, Human Services Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services.
When designing youth protection measures, many nonprofit leaders want to understand the industry’s “best practices” and incorporate what already works for others. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to identify one set of “best practices” or a universal checklist all organizations should adopt. As a result, it will benefit nonprofit leaders and their clients to tailor daily practices to the unique exposures and operations of the agency. When doing so, it’s best to consider four important factors when designing a youth protection program.
Author, Sam Clayton, Vice President, Construction Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
For the first time in 20 years, the California Insurance Guarantee Association (CIGA) will not collect its annual assessment. As a result, California employers in the guaranteed cost workers' compensation insurance market will save 2% on their premium in 2019.
Author, Jeremy Hoolihan, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Workers’ Compensation is a form of insurance providing wage replacement and medical benefits to employees injured in the course of employment in exchange for mandatory relinquishment of the employee's right to sue their employer for the tort of negligence.
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