Pinnacol Policyholders Reap Benefits from Ease of Doing Business ...

Pinnacol Foundation
Scholarships
Available for
Injured Workers’
Children
The Pinnacol Foundation is accepting college
scholarship applications now through March
31, 2007, for the 2007-2008 school year. To
qualify, a student must be the natural child,
adopted child, or stepchild of a worker killed
or seriously disabled in a compensable workrelated
accident while employed by a
Colorado-based company, regardless of
insurance carrier. For more information, call
303-361-4775 or visit
www.pinnacol.com/foundation.
A traumatic construction accident left Ron Offerson
permanently disabled and unable to work. With the help
of a scholarship from the Pinnacol Foundation, his
daughter, Aspin, graduated from college in June.
Safety/LossPrevention
Safety Training,
Materials for
Non-English-
Speaking
Employees
Spanish-speaking workers now comprise
about 16 percent of Colorado’s workforce.
While safety training for these employees does
present challenges, the cost of injuries can’t be
ignored. One Spanish-speaking employee of a
Pinnacol Assurance policyholder who was
severely injured on the job (in part due to
inadequate safety training) incurred claims
costs of close to a quarter of a million dollars.
The policyholder’s premium then increased by
71 percent.
6
cont. on page 7 >>
>>‘2007 “Ease of Doing Business” Update’ cont. from page 2
We’re planning further improvements for 2007
(including a new and improved Benefits
Information Kit for injured workers), which we’ll
report on in future issues of Focus. And, as always,
we appreciate your feedback! If you’d like to learn
how to take full advantage of our EODB improvements
– or have a suggestion that would make it
easier for you to do business with Pinnacol –
contact your underwriter or our customer service
team at 303-361-4000 or 1-800-873-7242.
Business Update
Self-Service
Options, New
Menu Improve
Pinnacol’s Phone
System
What do self-help options, Spanish menu prompts,
and driving directions have in common? They’re
all new features of Pinnacol Assurance’s phone
system, which we’re constantly improving to
provide better service to our customers.
Here are some of the new features you’ll experience
if you call 303-361-4000 or 1-800-873-7242:
• Policyholder self-help options (available 24 hours
a day, seven days a week), such as checking
policy-payment receipt and claim status
• Injured worker self-help options (available 24
hours a day, seven days a week), so workers can
check the status of a mileage reimbursement
check or wage replacement check
• New menu options in both English and Spanish
• General Pinnacol information options, such as
business hours and directions, our billing address,
and our policy payment address
In addition to these upgrades, internal process
changes enable customers to talk to the right
person the first time – rather than being
transferred to multiple people.
This is just one of many ways we’re making it
easier for you to do business with Pinnacol. Need
help or have questions? Call us at 303-361-4000 or
1-800-873-7242.
Safety/Loss Prevention
Loss Prevention
CD-ROM
Pinnacol’s popular and comprehensive Loss
Prevention CD-ROM is an easy way to get all the
information you need to keep your employees safe
and your workers’ comp costs down. You can
access this CD through Pinnacol Online. After
signing in, just look for the Loss Prevention
Services headline on the upper right-hand side of
the screen.
If you don’t have a Pinnacol Online user ID, visit
www.pinnacol.com/polregfo.pdf to download a
registration form. Pinnacol Online gives you
instant access to your policy and claim
information and allows you to run a variety of
reports.
Return-to-Work
New Return-to-
Work
CD-ROM
Available
Having a returnto-work
(RTW)
program in place –
including a modified-duty
component – benefits you and
your employees. Policyholders that offer
modified duty to injured workers save money by:
• Speeding their injured workers’ medical recovery
• Reducing claims costs
• Holding down premiums
In addition, most injured workers are eager
to get back to work and make a contribution.
A RTW program helps promote employee morale
and a sense of job security.
Pinnacol now has a free Return-to-Work CD-
ROM packed with information to help employers
bring injured workers back to work. It offers clear,
easy-to-understand explanations and step-by-step
instructions for:
• Creating a RTW policy for your company
• Designing modified-duty tasks
• Completing the formal modified-duty job-offer
process