Assigned Risk Solutions Response to COVID-19
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to affect many regions of the world and the full impact of this virus is still unfolding.
Assigned Risk Solutions are committed to taking proactive measures to safeguard employees, customers and others we interact with from the spread of serious illness such as COVID-19, and we continue to monitor the situation and stay abreast of guidance offered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Collectively, we are working to ensure our business remains fully prepared to respond to ensure the health and safety of our agents, customers and injured workers.
Below are several commonly asked questions and resources that will assist you in understanding our response to this unprecedented situation.
For Our Policyholders:
Preparing Your Business
As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak continues to spread and attract significant media and public attention, we want to provide you with assurance that, as your workers’ compensation provider, we are working diligently to ensure we are prepared to conduct business without interruption during this evolving health situation.
Helping to protect your business and employees is our highest priority, and that’s why we encourage you to prepare for COVID-19 (and other potential health risks) by:
- Making sure your business continuity plans are in place to cover any challenges presented by potential large-scale disruptions (including review of work-from-home and travel policies)
- Reviewing best practices related to preparing and maintaining a healthy work environment, such as this information provided by the World Health Organization
- Monitoring the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the latest information on the status, progression and prevention of COVID-19
While the full outcome of this situation is yet unknown, we are confident that together, we can each do our part to protect our workplaces and keep employees safe and healthy.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve your business.
Submitting a Claim
As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak continues to spread, we’ve started receiving an increased number of inquiries regarding work-related COVID-19 claims. Because coverage varies with workers’ compensation statutes from state-to-state, any case reported would be evaluated based on the specific details/circumstances before determining if the claim was compensable.
Our recommendation is that all potential work-related COVID-19 claims be submitted so our claim representatives can investigate them properly. We have implemented our infectious disease claim handling protocols and compensability will be based on the investigation and fact pattern of each claim, including:
- The individual facts and merits of the actual claim (non-hypothetical)
- The individual workers’ compensation statutes and case law of the specific state
- Any further direction from a political entity
It’s important to note that no one factor will determine whether an COVID-19-related illness is compensable – all reported cases will be evaluated individually. If a claim is reported, but is closed with no applicable claim costs, it will not impact the workers’ compensation premium or experience modifier.
For more information on COVID-19, please visit the most up-to-date resources, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.
Thank you, as always, for your continued partnership as we work together to keep workplaces safe.
Payment Exceptions
With the continuing spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and subsequent closure of many businesses, we understand that some of our customers will struggle to make timely premium and/or audit payments. As your insurance partner, we want to provide the assurance that we will work with our policyholders to accommodate requests regarding payments or non-pay cancellations.
We are taking several steps to assist in these situations. First, we are suspending all non-pay cancellation actions for 60 days, beginning Friday, March 27, 2020. This should provide respite from financial obligations for businesses especially hurt by reduced business. Additionally, we are committed to working with our policyholders who need to reduce payrolls on a temporary basis. We will also offer payment options for policyholders struggling to make recent audit payments.
Agents are encouraged to contact us — or policyholders can contact us directly — to make arrangements or exceptions, if this becomes necessary. We will review each exception on an individual basis and work with the agent and policyholder to determine an acceptable solution. Note that if we do not receive communication from either the agent or customer, we will follow normal payment and delinquency procedures.
For additional details regarding payroll changes, payment exceptions and on-site Loss Control and Audit visits, please see our frequently asked questions below.
For up-to-date information on COVID-19, please continue to visit reliable resources, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.
We greatly appreciate your continued partnership as we work together to keep people safe.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: Policyholders are having to reduce or eliminate payrolls due to a rapidly changing business environment. Policyholders have concerns about their ability to pay their insurance premium. How is Assigned Risk Solutions going to handle these situations?
A: We are taking several steps to assist in these situations. First, we are suspending all non-pay cancellation actions for 60 days, beginning Friday, March 27, 2020. This should provide respite from financial obligations for businesses especially hurt by reduced business.
Additionally, we are committed to working with our policyholders who need to reduce payrolls on a temporary basis. We will also offer payment options for policyholders struggling to make recent audit payments.
Q: Some policyholders are having to deploy their employees in new or additional roles to help them cope with the downturn in their business. How will Assigned Risk Solutions handle these situations at audit time?
A: We will be as flexible as possible with audits, assuming policyholders keep detailed payroll records of employees whose primary duties have changed. In these situations, we will allow payroll to be split among class codes (e.g., a restaurant worker becomes a driver for home delivery).
Q: How will we handle onsite requirements for loss control visits?
A: For those insureds who cannot or will not accommodate onsite servicing, we may be willing to delay in person visits or explore alternative options prior to quoting, binding or issuance. Alternatives may include completing a phone or virtual survey. The expectation is that as soon as practical, we will work with policyholders to reschedule onsite visits.
Q: How will Assigned Risk Solutions handle onsite premium audits?
A: If an onsite audit is not possible during this time of public health crisis, we will make arrangements to meet at a different location or obtain the needed records electronically. As mentioned above, we will suspend any rules against splitting payroll for individual employees as long as the employer is able to provide documentation of payroll splits during the policy period.
