Claims Manager helps company limit liability
The more than 100 combined years of injury claims experience on the Retail Services staff can be useful in ensuring that cases are processed with integrity.
Claims Administration Manager Nancy Barnes noticed that a claimant’s legal representative was improperly trying to introduce new evidence in an appeal of a Vocational decision by the Director of Labor & Industries. She knew that the only issue at appeal was related to the vocational decision that found the worker able to work. This issue had already been presented to the Vocational Dispute Resolution Office and upheld. Questioning this decision then becomes a question of whether the Director had abused his discretionary authority in making his decision. It was not permissible in such a case to attempt to introduce new evidence.
Barnes contacted Retail Services’ lawyer who verified her observation of proper procedure in such a case. He wrote a letter to the appellant’s legal representation, which then dropped the motion to the Board of Insurance Appeals. Had the appeals board overturned the earlier ruling based on an improper appeal, it could have cost the employer more in benefit payments and higher workers’ compensation insurance costs.
Often the legal help Retail Services needs is far more complex. In this case, all it took to close the case was one letter confirming a procedural error.