wellness, rehabilitation, and workers’ compensation are encour- aged to attend.


OSC21 highlights


• Learn to improve safety management programs and best practices.


• View the newest workforce safety products and services. • Chat with business representatives, safety pros, and workers’ compensation specialists.


• Connect with exhibitors to discuss cost-saving solutions. • Keep your workers healthy and productive Important note: The new March 10 – 11 dates are a change from


the original dates of March 31 – April 2 that the BWC announced earlier this year. Look for updates on social media using #OSC21. Mark your calendar and join the BWC online! March 10-11, 2021. For more information about all the Ohio BWC’s training op-


portunities, visit the BWC’s Learning Center at: BWC Learning Center Login


LET’S LEARN: IMPORTANT BWC ACRONYMS • POR: Physician of Record—the chosen doctor of the injured worker.


• PPD: Permanent Partial Disability—(or %PP or “C92 Award”) Compensation award paid by the Ohio BWC to an injured worker for injuries where he/she has a loss-of-use due to the injury. It is based on a percentage of their impairment from the injury.


• SC: Salary Continuation—When the employer choses to continue paying the injured worker’s wages for a Lost Time claim until he/she is returned to work either full-duty or modi- fied duty, as opposed to the BWC paying Temporary Total (TT) compensation which when paid, is marked against the employer’s rating experience.


• MDOS: Modified Duty Offsite—A program where the injured worker is released with restrictions by his/her doctor and is placed at a local non-profit agency, like a soup kitchen or


CLAIM STATUS QUESTIONS: ACTIVE? OPEN? CLOSED? When it comes to Ohio workers’ compensation, some of the


verbiage used is a bit different than other states’ usage of descrip- tions, especially when it comes to describing the status of claims. Here in Ohio, a workers’ comp claim is either a Lost Time (LT)


claim or a Medical Only (MO) claim. A Lost Time claim is when the injured worker loses 8 or more calendar days of work due to his/ her injury, and compensation needs to be paid to the injured worker either by the Ohio BWC or by the employer. A Medical Only claim is when the injured worker has missed 7 or fewer days of work due to the work-related injury. The injured worker can receive treatment and/or benefits for the injury, yet still report to work. When determining whether a claim is “active” or “open” or


“closed”, one must evaluate the status of medical treatment, compen- sation being paid, and if the claim has been Lump Sum Settled or not. In Ohio, a claim is considered “closed” when the injury ex-


ceeded the statute of limitations, or when the claim is Lump Sum Settled, or when the injured worker is deceased (not from the cause of the injury). In Ohio, a claim is considered “open” when there is current


medical activity or compensation being paid by either the BWC or the employer. It’s important to know that medical reserves on a claim go to $0 after 6 months of medical inactivity, and compensa- tion reserves go to $0 after 3 months of compensation inactivity. It is safe to say when you see a claims total reserves at $0, the claim is not active. The claim is used to determine the employer’s experience (EMR) for 4 rating years. A claim takes 2 rate years to enter into an employer’s experience and then is used for 4 years to determine the employer’s EMR (Experience Modification Rate). From a medical standpoint, a claim is still “open” but “inac-


tive” after 24 months of inactivity…BUT can be “reactivated” by the injured worker.


donation-center agency, to do meaningful “light duty” work while the employer pays their wages and the injured worker transitions back to full duty.


24 DECEMBER 2020 8


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