FAQ
With you every step of the way.
And finally, bear in mind that outsourcing is a strategy that exists on a spectrum. There is no one size fits all. You can outsource some elements of your program to start with, and graduate to doing more, all depending on your needs and your comfort level.
A WCB advocate is a professional who specializes in assisting injured workers with their workers’ compensation claims. Their primary role is to guide and support individuals through the often complex and confusing process of filing for benefits, appealing decisions, and ensuring they receive the compensation they are entitled to.
WCB advocates help injured workers by explaining their rights and responsibilities, providing advice on the best course of action, and ensuring all necessary paperwork is accurately completed and submitted in a timely manner. They are well-versed in workers’ compensation laws, regulations, and policies, and can skillfully navigate the system on behalf of their clients.
In addition, professional advocates can represent injured workers during appeals or hearings, presenting evidence and arguments to support their client’ cases. By working closely with clients and using our expertise, we aim to alleviate the stress and burden associated with workers’ compensation claims and secure the best possible outcomes for those we serve.
Blue Collar advocates are also skilled disability managers. Think of a disability manager as a project manager. But instead of ensuring project outcomes, a disability manager ensures favorable claim outcomes. This involves interacting and negotiating with the WCB, helping you write and communicate policies, ensuring injured workers don’t get lost in the system, containing claims costs via recover-at-work planning & early intervention, so forth. This list runs longer than can be articulated in a few lines, so give us a call and we’ll elaborate further.
We represent either/or as the situation requires.
The Blue Collar program is designed for budget-challenged small-to-medium-sized employers (10-250 employees). An affordable monthly subscription ensures priority service. “Piece-work” consultation is also available on an hourly basis as time permits.Likewise, injured workers may engage Blue Collar in exchange for a retainer payment and an hourly fee.
An historical claims analysis often uncovers opportunities for cost relief or recovery. This effort can provide a quick cash injection amounting to tens of thousands of dollars.
Combined WCB and group-benefit savings can easily amount to $100-200K, or more, depending on your company size, rate group, and experience rating.
Because it’s a low-cost, hassle-free investment in your bottom line. Direct and indirect costs stemming from disability can consume 3-5% of operating income (EBITDA). In fact, many companies spend at least 10% of their total payroll on direct disability costs. On top of that, research shows that for every dollar spent on direct costs, an equal amount is spent on overtime, additional supervision, hiring and training costs, and loss of productivity.Furthermore, a disability program supports injured workers in times of need, reduces operational disruption due to absence, demonstrates legal due diligence, and liberates HR and HSE from workers’ comp admin burdens.
Disability management is a proactive and coordinated strategy to facilitate and manage employee health and productivity. Instead of treating disability as an unavoidable cost of doing business and allowing claims to be victimized by chance, a disability program empowers employers and leads to better outcomes for themselves and employees.
Plan design
Inexpensive Blue Collar programs are always tailored to unique needs. Gap analysis, action planning, early intervention, return-to-work planning, and claim management comprise the key elements. Our consultants collaborate with your management team for the purposes of:
- Getting injured people back to work rapidly and safely
- Strategic preservation of bidding power and TRIF management
- Proactively preventing time-loss claims
- Controlling claims costs
- Ensuring legal compliance
What’s involved?
- Develop policies, procedures, and forms
- Educate management team
- Promote the program
- Implement and evaluate
Not at all. Companies and agencies across North America have adopted disability management programs including Suncor, Civeo, University of Calgary, New Brunswick Nurses Union, and many more.
HR and Safety professionals often get bogged down in workers’ comp. And this problem is only growing worse due to growing psych injuries and the ongoing COVID-19 fallout. Blue Collar can relieve the pressure so your HR and HSE teams can focus on recruiting top talent and preventing injury.
It’s never been harder to earn a discount, or even to maintain an average WCB rating. BCC can help preserve your good standing with the WCB.
Disability management is a broad term that includes WCB management, return-to-work planning, claims administration, appeals preparation, etc. In other words, case management is one component of a larger system. Blue Collar provides all-inclusive disability management for a low monthly fee.
Disability management is a broad term that encompasses WCB management, return-to-work planning, claims administration, appeals preparation, etc. In other words, WCB management is one component of a larger system. Blue Collar provides all-inclusive disability management for a low monthly fee.
It all begins with a conversation. Disability management shouldn’t occur in a silo, but rather, should align with overarching corporate strategy. Once BCC understands your business, we get to work on a gap analysis by studying current state versus desired state. Next comes policy development and communication, setting metrics, educating your staff, and establishing accountabilities. It’s a quick, straightforward, and painless process that occurs mostly behind the scenes as Blue Collar walks you through the steps.
While there is some overlap with HSE, the primary focus of disability management concerns post-injury mitigation versus accident prevention (pre-injury). In a perfect world, accidents wouldn’t happen, but when they do, a disability program ensures a coordinated response.
Absolutely. Our role is advisory in nature and you always have the final say.
Work is the best form of therapy, but pressuring a worker to return is bound to fail. The goal is a sustained and safe return-to-work. And this goal is most often achieved via a consensual ‘recover-at-work’ plan.
During the acute stage of a serious injury or illness, home-based recuperation is advisable until a worker’s condition stabilizes. That said, the WCB wants injured workers to recover at work if at all possible. To this end, a duty-to-reinstate is now imposed on employers along with a legal obligation to provide modified or alternate work. BCC helps its clients stay compliant with legislative requirements while respecting your worker’s safety.
Yes, if you desire to legally challenge a ruling rendered by the Appeals Commission, then you should contact a WCB lawyer. But a superior, and much less expensive game plan is to achieve a resolution with WCB itself and/or the Appeals Commission. And at the initial levels of appeal, it’s best to engage a WCB specialist not a WCB lawyer.
