Claims analyst wins settlement of a faulty forklift injury claim
Senior claims analyst Kim Kendall’s initiative helped an employer avoid damages from a claim of injury by an employee who was operating a forklift.
The worker claimed that his repetitive operation of the forklift resulted in a strain to his left wrist. Kendall questioned the claim and asked Labor & Industries to perform a job of injury job analysis before scheduling an independent medical exam. The exam concluded that the employee’s normal operation of the forklift did not qualify as an occupational injury. The worker cited no specific incident that caused an injury in his claim.
The employee’s doctor agreed with the findings of the independent exam. A consulting doctor also agreed with the results of the independent medical exam. This complete review process wound up taking a full six-month.
Retail Services’ claims analysts are trained to determine whether injury claims should be challenged and referred for independent review to save Retro members from questionable costly claims. Understanding and investigating an employee’s employment and past injury history helps companies minimize expenses for future workers’ compensation insurance premiums.