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Home » unit stat date

Reserve Review Schedule – Are You Behind Or Ahead?

April 19, 2018 By JL Risk Management Consultants

Reserve Review Schedule – Important Upcoming Date For January 1 Renewals

A reserve review schedule can save many headaches if your company has a January 1 renewal.   January 1 remains the most popular date for renewals by far.   

Vector Graphic reserve review schedule important date calendar

Public License – Italian Wikiversity

July 1st is the second most popular date.  Most governmental entities renew on July 1st.   Some governmental units have moved their renewals to January 1 over the past few years.  

A few years ago, I published a set of articles centering on a reserve review timetable.   I wrote a summary of the reserve timetable articles due to a few emailed requests.  

The formulas are:

  • Time to Begin Reserve Review = Unit Stat Date – 90 days (at a minimum) or policy renewal date + 90 days
  • Unit Stat Date = 180 days (6 months) after policy renewal

The rating bureaus (NCCI, WCIRB, etc.) allow the extra six months for full claim reserve  development.   Remember that Total Incurred = Paid + Reserves.   The total incurred figures will be reported to the rating bureaus. 

Your target date to start a reserve review is usually three months after renewal.  For January 1st renewals you are running 45+ days behind schedule.  The upcoming Unit Statistical Date  (Unit Stat Date) remains ever important.    Your reserves for claims from the last three to four years peg to your Experience Mod on that date.    

Claims departments usually review your reserves for reduction at closing.   One phone call or email will not suffice for a good reserve review.    Obtaining a full loss run just after renewal and starting then will give you a full six months to track, review, and if needed, negotiate reserves. 

The recommended best method involves a year-round loss run reserve review and communication with the claims adjusters (by email) on a regular basis.  Employers that begin a year-round review program are surprised when their reserves and eventually the E-Mod drops to an acceptable level. 

There are many articles on how to do a loss run and reserve review in the articles I have written.  For  more info, you can click the Categories or Tags at the bottom of this article.  Also, use the search box at the top right to find more articles on starting a reserve review schedule.   

©J&L Risk Management Inc Copyright Notice

Filed Under: unit stat date Tagged With: acceptable level, claims department, January 1 renewal, timetable

Work Comp Reserves – Why is June 30th Most Crucial Day?

June 30, 2016 By JL Risk Management Consultants

Work Comp Reserves And The Unit Statistical Date

Why do Work Comp reserves become so crucial on June 30th of each year?  Please follow along as there are a few steps to this assumption / reality.

calendar pen and eye glass work comp reserves emblem from website

(c) 123rf.com

As mentioned often in this blog, the most workers comp policies renew on January 1st of each year.   If your company or organization renews  on January 1st, you should consider moving that renewal date to later in January.

Save your company or organization time as a major  time waster occurs each year with December reserve reviews  on a January 1 renewal date.   You are wasting your time unless you are planning six months ahead.

The Unit Statistical Date occurs when your Total Incurred (paid + work comp reserves) pegs to your Experience Mod.  This happens 6 months after policy expiration, not upon policy expiry.

Hand Illustrating Work Comp Reserves Analytics Concept

StockUnlimited

A January 1st renewal date usually guarantees a Unit Statistical Date of  July 1st.   On June 30th at midnight, your company has what it has for Total Incurred, with very few exceptions.    Most companies receive their new E-Mod (X-Mod) 90 – 120 days after the Unit Statistical Date directly from the Rating Bureau or from their agent/broker.

One should study the E-Mod  or X-Mod Rating Sheets very closely upon receipt as the Total Incurred figures are included in those sheets.

The Work Comp reserves should be negotiated with the insurance carrier before the Unit Statistical Date if possible.  At the close of business today, all policies with a January 1, 2017 renewal date will have their 2017 E-Mod pegged by the respective reserves.

Have you looked over your loss runs?  If not, it is never too late to start analyzing your  Paid, Reserves, and Total Incurred for each claim.  Monitoring work comp reserves can be time consuming yet well worth the effort.

©J&L Risk Management Inc Copyright Notice

Filed Under: unit stat date Tagged With: crucial, pegged, time consuming

Private and Public Employers– Pending Unit Stat Date

November 6, 2014 By JL Risk Management Consultants

Upcoming Important Date – Pending Unit Stat Date  

The pending Unit Stat Date creates a deadline that private and public employers should mark on their calendars. 

A large percentage of private employers and  most public entities renew on July 1st. In most policies, the Experience Modification Factor, better known as E-Mod or X-mod, is usually calculated six months before policy inception.

Vector Graphic Of Two Employers Pending Unit Stat Date Shaking Hands

StockUnlimited

This date is known as your Unit Statistical Date or Unit Stat Date.  

The Unit Stat date for the aforementioned employers is January 1, 2015.  

The Total Incurred figures applicable to your  July 1st, 2015 policy will peg on New Years Day, 2015.

I may not necessarily agree with this structure, but it is the system we have to work with to have WC policies.   As Charles Givens said in Super Self, “If you want to win in their ballpark, you have to play by their rules.”

Your company or public entity has seven weeks to correct any reserves on your applicable  outstanding Workers Comp files.   As mentioned often in this blog,  Total Incurred = Paid + Outstanding Reserves.

The Total Incurred figure is used as one of the main inputs to your E-Mod calculation.  Having online access to your claims and loss runs is critical in this process.

Picture Of Man Upcoming Important Date Calculating

StockUnlimited

If you have your company’s loss runs and want to begin a loss run analysis, unfortunately there is no one guide on how to accomplish that task.   Each WC file is to its own.  There is no Step 1, Step 2, Step 3, etc. method.

Calling attention to certain files on your loss runs may actually end up increasing your E-Mod.  I have attempted to write a one-size-fits-all loss run analysis guide.  I have read a few other guides that fall flat.

The best advice that I can give is to look for the outliers or the claims that are obviously over-reserved or have some other attribute that stands out upon a loss run analysis and review.

The main idea is to at least begin your analysis but tread very lightly.  A large % of employers do not even obtain their loss runs and look over them.

If you have to request a paper loss run, you should do that today if your policy renewal is July 1st.  In fact, even if it is not on July 1st, the employers that pay attention to their loss runs seem to have lower E-Mods than companies that do nothing with their loss runs.

There are numerous articles on X-Mod or E-Mod reductions and loss run analysis.  Use the search box to find them in the 1400 articles on this blog.

Some of the terms in this article are highlighted that will take you to some of the articles.   Feel free to print out any of the articles or reference them in your own articles with a backlink.

Go ahead and mark the pending Unit State Date on your calendars if you are a public employer. 

©J&L Risk Management Inc Copyright Notice

Filed Under: unit stat date Tagged With: ARD, ballpark, one-size-fits-all

WC Loss Run Reserve – Public Employers Upcoming Deadline

December 5, 2013 By JL Risk Management Consultants

WC Loss Run Reserve Levels Crucial For Public Employers

Certain organizations need to concentrate on WC Loss Run reserve levels now.   Yesterday, I pointed out that employers with a renewal date of 1/1/14 are wasting time performing loss run reviews.   That is not 100% true as at least your company is beginning the loss run schedule for your 7/1/14 Unit Stat date.

Graphic of WC Loss Run Reserve Business connection

StockUnlimited

Most governmental and quasi-governmental organizations renew on 7/1/14.  If this is true for your company or organization, you must act now to keep your E-Mod as low as possible.  You have until 12/31/13 as this is when your reserves will peg to your E-Mod for your 7/1/14 renewal.    

The quickest way to find out your reserve levels is by having online access.  Loss runs can be downloaded at will in most systems.  If not, you will need to contact your agent or insurance carrier to obtain a loss run.  Obtaining your loss runs may take some time to accomplish as there can be a delay of up to two weeks.

If you have had multiple WC carriers in the last five years, you will need to obtain a loss run from each of the WC carriers.   Knowing which claims on which to question the reserve levels can be a daunting task.  One can cost their company or governmental organization by actually calling the claims department’s attention to a file that needs an increase in reserves. 

The best way to contact your claims staff is by email.  As I have said in numerous posts on this blog, claim departments do not rush through reserve decreases.  This process takes time as the supervisor, claims manager, and VP may all have to sign off on a reserve decrease.  Larger files usually take weeks to pass from desk to desk.

Picture of WC Loss Run Reserve Hands Presenting Email

StockUnlimited

 

Only contact the WC claims departments on certain claims.  Calling up the claims department and complaining that all reserves are too high will likely result in no reserve decreases and may alienate the working relationship that you have had in the past.

 

If you feel overwhelmed by the reserve reduction review task, then it may be best to wait until the 

middle of 2014 to start your reserve and loss run review.  The best time to start is just after your company renews as you will have six months to accomplish this sometimes difficult task.

Most claims offices operate with skeleton crews just before Christmas to after the New Year.   You may find your request to have a reserve lowered for your 1/1/2014 Unit Stat Date will not be accomplished until after the New Year.

There is a formula on this blog of when to do reserve level reviews.

©J&L Risk Management Inc Copyright Notice

Filed Under: unit stat date Tagged With: claim manager, daunting task, quasi-governmental, Supervisor, VP

Best Way To Waste Time On Workers Comp in December

December 4, 2013 By JL Risk Management Consultants

The Easiest Way To Waste Time On Workers Comp Before The New Year

I have discovered the best way to waste time on Workers Comp in December.   Workers Compensation reserves do not directly apply to a policy that renews within 30 days.   We receive many emails and phone calls in December with inquiries on reserve levels.  Many CFO’s, owners, risk managers, agents (etc.)  want to clean up the loss runs before the end of the year.

Students Waste Time On Workers Comp computer

Wikimedia Commons – Michael Surran

If the upcoming renewal on January 1st is the reason you wish to do a loss run and reserve review, you are wasting your time.  The best way to spend your time if you have a 1/1/2014 renewal date is by starting a loss run review schedule for 7/1/2014.  This is when your reserve reviews peg to your Experience Mod (E-Mod) for your 1/1/2015 renewal date.

The loss run dated 7/1/2013 should be used for your 1/1/2014 renewal.  The best way to look at the missed opportunity is by being prepared for your 7/1/2014 Unit Statistical Date.

There are numerous articles on this blog that pertain to planning a loss run review program.  Using the search box in the top right part of the blog will be the easiest way to find the articles on loss run or reserve reviews.   If you wish to click directly over to the articles, they are listed below with the proper links.

The main goal is to make sure that your company starts to review your loss runs long before the date your E-Mod affects your insurance program.  As always, a great safety program will keep your company from having to worry about loss runs.

If there are no accidents, the loss runs will have no claims listed on them.  The lack of claims on your loss runs means your company is keeping out of the E-Mod system as much as possible.

Man Sleeping Waste Time On Workers Comp On Office Table

StockUnlimited

Articles for loss run review links are below:

Unit Stat Date
Reserve Review Program

One group of companies will find it best to start analyzing their Workers Comp reserves in December.  I will cover that next time.

©J&L Risk Management Inc Copyright Notice

Filed Under: renewal, Reserves, unit stat date Tagged With: owner, pertain to planning, RRP

Very Important Upcoming Date For January 1 Policies

June 10, 2011 By JL Risk Management Consultants

Important Upcoming Date For January 1 Policies Renewal

Over the last few months, I had been covering a plan on how to reduce E-Mods. The important upcoming date for January 1 renewals is your Unit Stat date. The Total Incurred (Paid + Reserves) is tallied six months after your policy inception for your NEXT policy period.

Christmas Graphic of Important Upcoming Date January First

123RF

If you have been following my recommended Action Plan, you should have by now

  • obtained a copy of your loss run (online preferred)
  • analyzed the loss run for any files that seem over-reserved or should have been closed
  • contacted your Workers Comp adjuster
  • negotiated the reserves
  • obtained an additional loss run to make sure the changes were made

The best way to finish the analysis is to obtain a copy of your loss run the last week of this month. Go over all the Total Incurred figures to make sure they match the negotiated reserves. If the changes were different than expected or were not made, the Total Incurred amounts on your claims are stamped in stone. Usually, after close of business on June 30th, the insurance carriers will not change the values.

The Total Incurred will be reported to the Rating Bureaus using the June 30th amounts. If your policy does not have a January 1 renewal, then just add six months onto your policy inception date for your Unit Stat date. For example if your renewal date is 4/1/11, then your Unit Stat date is 09/30/11.

I will post next time on how to get your E-Mod report months in advance of when it is released.

©J&L Risk Management Inc Copyright Notice

Filed Under: Total Incurred, unit stat date Tagged With: action plan, obtained

Workers Comp Reserve Reduction Plan – Is Yours In Place?

March 25, 2011 By JL Risk Management Consultants

Reserve Reduction Plan And The Unistat Date

I wrote last week on the timing and deadline for having your Workers Compensation reserve reduction plan in place. If your company has not begun with the plan, you are throwing away Workers Compensation Dollars.

Graphic of Calendar Reserve Reduction Plan Unistat Date

(c) 123rf.com

If your renewal date is January 1, you should by now have obtained your company’s or agency’s Workers Compensation loss runs. If you do not have them, you are already running behind.

Remember, you have until 6/30/11 at 11:59 PM, to reduce your Workers Comp reserves which in turn will reduce your E-Mod. That is your goal – to reduce NEXT YEAR’S E-MOD.

Business Reserve Reduction Plan Infography

StockUnlimited

You should have a list of claims that you wish to discuss with your adjuster on the reserve levels. A caveat – KNOWING WHICH CLAIMS to discuss is critical. Discussing the wrong claims may cost your company more $. Please do not ask an adjuster to reduce all your reserves by 15%. That will never happen and ruin the working relationship you have with your adjuster.

If you do not know who your Workers Comp adjuster is, then you are falling way behind. Your loss run should indicate the person that is handling each claim.

As I have said many times in this blog, if you have online access you are way ahead of the game. Having FULL online access to your claims will save you hours and hours of work on your reserve reduction plan as you can see the status and the reserve levels any time you wish to access them.

The last time I posted on this subject, I received a few questions concerning renewal dates other than 1/1 and the corresponding reserve reduction plan timing. Check out my next post.

If you ever feel you are in over your head or that your carrier is not responding to your request, please contact us. Reserve reductions are part of what we do as a company.

©J&L Risk Management Inc Copyright Notice

Filed Under: Reserve Reduction Program, unit stat date Tagged With: agency, deadline, Reserve levels

Workers Comp File Reserves – You May Be Running Late

March 17, 2011 By JL Risk Management Consultants

Workers Comp File Reserves Timing Important

I try to post information on Workers Comp file reserves this time of year. Why? The majority of Worker Compensation policies renew on January 1st. 

Stack Workers Comp File Reserves files

Wikimedia Commons – Daniel R. Blume

The Unit Stat date for those policies is 7/01/11. Your companies Unit Stat date will occur 6 months AFTER your policy expiration date.It will not count for the current or prior policy year.

The Unit Stat date pegs your E-Mod reserves for the NEXT policy period. As posted often in this blog, my advice is to start your Workers Comp reserve reduction strategies by Mid-March, at the latest. Trying to negotiate reserves at the last minute with an insurance carrier will be an exercise in frustration.

Picture Of Hand Passing Workers Comp File Reserves Secret Letter

123RF

The SECRET is knowing which claim reserves to negotiate and which to leave alone.Stirring up interest in the wrong file may cause a reserve increase instead of a decrease.If you have your loss runs handy or can obtain them online, then you have saved yourself two weeks in obtaining them.

Unfortunately, there is no structured answer on which files to examine and which to leave alone. As you look over the loss run, it is best to know the current medical status of your injured employees. There may possibly be a valid reason for an extremely high reserve figure.  

 If you have access to the adjuster notes, they will sometimes suffice for an actual medical status. If you have to obtain a medical or claims status from an adjuster, use email.   Never call an adjuster saying that your company’s reserves are too high.  You need some type of number analysis to substantiate your position. 

Calling an adjuster went out of style ten years ago. I do not recommend texting an adjuster. That is too informal.

The bottom line is to get started NOW on your E-Mod for NEXT Year. You may be already running 17 days behind.  

©J&L Risk Management Inc Copyright Notice

Filed Under: Reserves, unit stat date Tagged With: medical status, policy expiration

Unit Stat Date Article Caused Confusion – Better Explanation

June 27, 2010 By JL Risk Management Consultants

Prior Unit Stat Date Article Caused Confusion

I may have some caused confusion on my last Unit Stat date article on the most important day in Workers Comp. From the emails that I received, I may not have been as clear as I should have been on the Unit Stat date.

Increasing Graph on Caused Confusion with people on Unit State Date Article

123RF

The Unit Stat date is six months later than the last date of your previous Workers Comp policy. I had used January 1 in the examples to fit the description of the most important day in Workers Comp – June 30th.

The easiest way to find your company’s Unit Stat date is by adding six months to your policy renewal date. If your policy’s renewal date is in the middle of the month ( Example – March 14th) then your Unit Stat Date would be September 13th. Your Unit Stat date does not have to be at the beginning or the ending of the month.

As I mentioned in a previous post, you need to have a plan on how to monitor and negotiate your company’s reserves before the Unit Stat date. The initial process must start right after your policy renewal to affect your NEXT YEARS’ E-Mod.

Businesswoman Caused Confusion Working With Colleagues

StockUnlimited

If you start to monitor and negotiate your company’s reserves within three months of your Unit Stat date you are not going to have much success as the process will take at least 6 – 9 months. It is not that easy to accomplish as most Workers Comp insurance adjusters are not used to having their reserves questioned.

At no time was I referring to a claim performance audit. This is a totally different audit that scores the adjuster’s effectiveness on a random sampling of the files. I hope that this clears up some of the confusion concerning my last few posts on the Workers Compensation insurance cycle.

©J&L Risk Management Inc Copyright Notice

Filed Under: unit stat date Tagged With: negotiate, six months

Final Workers Comp Answer For Two Prior Related Articles

June 23, 2010 By JL Risk Management Consultants

The Final Workers Comp Answer = 6 months after policy expiration

This is the Final Workers Comp answer for when a policy expires.  Last week and yesterday I posted on the importance of June 30th if your Workers Comp policy expires on 12/31 or 1/1. Why is June 30th important for those policies and what date is very important for your Worker Compensation policies?

Woman final workers comp answer thinking

Wikimedia Commons – Xuan Zheng

The Workers Comp Experience Rating Cycle is a double-delayed cycle. One main aspect of the delay is that all of the rating bureaus allow six months for the insurance carrier to change the reserves on your loss run.

When agents and claims staff want to do reviews right before your policy expires, they are seriously wasting your time.

Six months after your policy expires is when the Total Incurred (Paid + Reserves) from the Workers Compensation loss runs are calculated for your E-Mod/X-Mod. However, you cannot wait until two weeks before the six month period ends to start working on this project.

You must have a schedule to follow that starts much earlier. It does take some time to review your claim loss runs and then negotiate any type of reserve reductions or file closings.

We have devised our own loss run review schedule for each of our clients.

©J&L Risk Management Inc Copyright Notice

Filed Under: unit stat date Tagged With: double-delayed cycle, final answer, project

Workers Comp and June 30th – What Is The Big Deal?

June 22, 2010 By JL Risk Management Consultants

Workers Comp and June 30th Critical Relationship

I had posted the question last week on why June 30th is such an important day in the Workers Comp insurance cycle. The answer has two parts. Thanks for all the email inquiries everyone sent in last week.

Picture Of Hand June 30th With Insurance Cycle Graphic

StockUnlimited

The largest percentage of Workers Compensation policies renew on January 1st of each year. June 30th is six months after that date. What happens in the six months after your last policy expires? If you do not know, you need to mark the date on your business calendar. Less than 1% of the companies we have as clients knew the importance of that six-month period.

Check out my next post for the final answer.    Not give to much away – but the date is the Unit Statistical date. This is of those under-the-radar terms that employers need to discover as much as possible on this critical date and its functions.  Understanding that date helps in understanding the Workers Compensation rating cycle by the rate bureaus. 

June 30th at 11:59 pm is the drop dead date and time to peg your claims to your Experience Modification Factor.  Your starting policy date has little to do with your E-Mod. 

©J&L Risk Management Inc Copyright Notice

Filed Under: unit stat date Tagged With: inquiries, percentage

UNIT STAT Date Is One To Mark On Your Calendar

May 7, 2010 By JL Risk Management Consultants

UNIT STAT Date – Very Important Planning

I had mentioned the UNIT STAT date and report in May 2008. It is worth mentioning again as it is one of the most important reports in all of Workers Comp insurance.   The name was shortened from Unit Statistical Date.

Calendar UNIT STAT Concept With Pen And Eye Glass

(c) 123rf.com

The UNIT STAT date is the actual date that the reserves/total incurred is used to calculate your E-Mods. It is not the policy renewal date. We have seen agents, adjusters, and even some underwriters become so very concerned about an employer’s Workers Comp policy during the last month of the policy.

Other than marketing for the insurance company, the last month of a Workers Comp policy is a useless time to do anything in regards to reducing the reserves on a file.

The report is filed by your insurance carrier with the State Rating Bureau or NCCI to calculate your Experience Mod. The UNIT STAT report is one of those kind of “hidden” factors that figures into your Workers Comp policy.

Do not wait until your Workers Comp policy expires to start working on your workers comp reserves.   Start three to four months before your UNIT STAT date. 

©J&L Risk Management Inc Copyright Notice

Filed Under: unit stat date Tagged With: factors, figures, shortened

Insurance Carrier Or Agent Could Be Wasting Your Time

November 24, 2009 By JL Risk Management Consultants

Insurance Carrier Claim Reserve Meetings

Your agent or insurance carrier will be wasting your time for renewing policy. We have found that 60-70% of all Workers Compensation policies renew on January 1st of each year.

Picture Of Two Man Insurance Carrier Shaking Hand Meeting In Sunset Spot

StockUnlimited

That figure matches our client list percentages. We hear from some of our client that the agent and or carrier have set up a claims review meeting to make sure the reserves are correct for the coming policy year.

The service provided is not being questioned in this article.  The timing of the service is what an employer needs to take heed over December claims review meetings if the employer’s policy ends in December. 

If your company is in this situation, you may want to cancel the meeting under this circumstance. Your reserves on the loss runs have nothing to do with what your Experience Modification Factor (E-Mod or X-Mod) will be for the coming year. Your E-Mod or X-Mod has very likely been in place for months.

Most Workers Compensation claims peg to your Experience Modification Factor Six Months after policy expiration.  This allow the set of claims to develop beyond just the regular policy period.  If your policy renews in July or August, a December claims meeting may be fruitful.  

Make sure you bring up any question on reserves in the right claims to cover in your claims meeting. 

Feel free to email us with your Workers Compensation policy dates. We will email back the date that your E-Mod or X-Mod has been set in stone. This is a free service. We will charge nothing for it.

©J&L Risk Management Inc Copyright Notice

Filed Under: unit stat date Tagged With: January 1st, percentages, service provided

Reserve Review Timing – Watch Your Unit Stat Date Closely

December 5, 2008 By JL Risk Management Consultants

Unistat Date Reserve Review Timing

As I posted last time, the Reserve Review timing has nothing to do with your policy renewal date. Do not waste your time with reserve reviews at your policy renewal, as your E-Mod has already been calculated with figures from six months before the end of the policy

Zoom Reserve Review calendar

Public Domain – Author

The way that most state insurance systems promulgate an E-Mod is to use the reserves that were on the files as of 6/30/2008 for your 1/1/2009 policy renewal date. I cannot say that I agree with the way this has been structured, but it is the system that is in place.

The best time to start looking at reserves is in 3/2009 for your 1/1/2010 renewal date.  The file reserves that are in place for your files on 06/30/09 will be the ones used for your policy renewal next year.

If your policy does not renew on 1/1, then just add six months into the policy renewal date. This is better known as the Unit Stat date. All carriers that have had Workers Comp claims with your company are required to file your reserve amounts by this date.

Next up – How soon can you receive your E-mod before the next policy renewal date?

©J&L Risk Management Inc Copyright Notice

Filed Under: unit stat date Tagged With: insurance system, systems promulgate

Workers Comp Policy Renewal Is Almost Here, What To Do Now?

November 8, 2008 By JL Risk Management Consultants

Your Workers Comp Policy Renewal Dates vs.  E-Mod

If your Workers Comp policy renewal date occurs on 1/1/09, what can you do about your Workers Comp E-Mod? That answer is nothing at all.

I have found that quite a few insurance carriers will do claim reviews in the months of November and December to impress the policyholders. With a policy renewal date of 1/1/09, they are wasting your time.

Graphic of Calendar and Clock Workers Comp Policy Renewal Day

StockUnlimited

Why can you do nothing even though the new policy has not started yet? I have covered this answer very often. The Workers Comp system is staggered. The Workers Comp reserve and Experience Modification system do not operate in-step. We often advise clients to concentrate on working with their agents during the last two months of the policy. The claim reserves can wait. Why?

Check back in next time and I will explain. If you know the answer, please email me and let me know the answer. If you use the search box on this blog, you can find the answer.

If you have a question that you wish to be covered in the blog, please email it and I will try to schedule it in over the next few days.

©J&L Risk Management Inc Copyright Notice

Filed Under: policy agent renewal, unit stat date Tagged With: search box, staggered

180 Day Window For Workers Comp Reserve Review

August 23, 2008 By JL Risk Management Consultants

180 Day Window – Workers Comp Reserve Timeline

The 180 day window can save your Workers Compensation Program a large amount of $. What is the 180-Day Window?

Picture of Policies Files 180 Day Window on table and Calculator

123RF

It is the time that you have to correct your company’s reserves after the close of the policy year. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT and one of the most confusing areas that employers will come across in their Workers Comp administration.

Please see our old posts on the Total Incurred part of your Experience Mod Rating (E-Mod or Ex-Mod). We will cover Total Incurred again later this week.

The 180-Day Window functions similar to this example.

  • Policy Period 1/1/07 to 1/1/08
  • Your Unit Stat Date is 06/30/08 – this means that no matter what happens (with a few exceptions) after 06/30/08, your reserves and Total Incurred can never be changed again for the 1/1/09 – 01/01/10 policy period.
  • The 180 Day Window is from 1/1/08 as that is when the policy period ends until 06/30/08, your Unit Stat date
  • During the Window, you can negotiate reserves down, if possible.
  • No more claims can be added to your policy, so you know the claims that will be on your 2009 – 2010 Experience Mod.
  • To negotiate down the reserves, starting less than 90 days (after 4/1/08) before your Unit Stat date will make the task much more difficult.

How do you avoid having to be concerned with a short Window of Time to negotiate down your reserves?

  • Businessman Passing Document 180 Day Window To Businesswoman

    StockUnlimited

    Review all reserves monthly and if something looks awry then contact your Workers Comp claims adjuster. Your insurance carrier should be providing you with a claims listing at least every quarter.

  • Use email as the method of contact due to documentation concerns.
  • Better yet, if you can obtain online access to your Workers Comp claims, then you can review your claims at your convenience.
  • As I have posted previously, do not just call up the Workers Compensation claims staff and tell them your reserves are too high. Make sure you have a basis to question the reserves.

If you feel that you need assistance, please contact a Workers Comp claims expert (such as JandL). You can also look over my previous posts as an aid to negotiating reserves.

©J&L Risk Management Inc Copyright Notice

Filed Under: unit stat date Tagged With: 180 day window, administration, documentation

UNIT STAT Date Most Important For Experience Rating

May 6, 2008 By JL Risk Management Consultants

UNIT STAT Date Most Important For Workers Comp Policies 

The most important date on the Workers Comp calendar is one that only a few select people know or follow.  (UNIT STAT date).

Picture of Pen Marking Important Date on Calendar

StockUnlimited

If you thought it was the renewal date, you are throwing Workers Comp $ down the drain. Check with this blog tomorrow to find out when your reserves + paid = total incurred pegs to your Experience Modifier.  You will be shocked. 

One should mark this on their calendar as one of the most critical days for any company’s budget process in the area of worker’s comp policies.  The renewal date is important, but not as important as this special time of the year – and we are not talking about Christmas. LOL 

Why do I keep bringing up this very important mp date? Over 99% of the employers we have asked this question to has said the renewal date. When only .6% of the employers know the answer, we become very concerned.

The second choice by employers centered on claim dates.  This choice made us wonder what employers meant by that term.  The First Reporting Lag time was what the employers meant by that choice. 

UNIT STAT Date Is The Answer  

The UNIT STAT Date is the answer to the question.  OK, so what is the all- most important date of  Workers Compensation?  Not one employer has emailed us the correct answer.   We asked a workers comp question earlier in this in the last post. 

Graphic of Calendar UNIT STAT Date Mark

StockUnlimited

We have posted on the Unit Statistical Date subject before in this blog. We usually hear the following answers:

  • The Workers Comp policy renewal date
  • The claims reporting date 
  • The Workers Comp policy expiration date
  • The date that the NCCI or State Rating Bureau calculates the E-Mod
  • The Workers Comp audit billing date
  • The day the Insurance Carrier’s Workers Comp auditor visits

None of the above are correct – the last one is important but not as important as the UNIT STAT Date. Check the next blog for an explanation of the critical date.  After this article, you should always mark it on your calendar. 

Yes, the policy renewal date is important.  However, everyone knows about the policy renewal date.  The UNIT STAT date is one that quietly passes by each year without anyone but the insurance carrier statistical reporting staff and the Rating Bureaus. 

UNIT STAT Date Critical for Experience Mods

Why is the Unit Stat Date the most critical date of any Workers Compensation policy?

Close up UNIT STAT Date calendar

Wikimedia Commons – Dafne Cholet

The Unit Statistical Date is the actual date that the reserves/total incurred is used to calculate your E-Mods. It is not the policy renewal date. We have seen agents, adjusters, and even some underwriters become so very concerned about an employer’s Workers Comp policy during the last month of the policy.

Other than marketing the insurance company, the last month of a Workers Comp policy is a useless time to do anything in regards to reducing the reserves on a file.

Your reserve review program must center on the Unit Stat filing date to the rating bureaus. 

The UNIT STAT report is filed by your insurance carrier with the State Rating Bureau or NCCI to calculate your Experience Mod. The UNIT STAT report is one of those kinds of “hidden” factors that figures into your Workers Comp policy.

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James J Moore
Raleigh, NC, United States

James founded a Workers’ Compensation consulting firm, J&L Risk Mgmt Consultants, Inc. in 1996. J&L’s mission is to reduce our clients’ Workers Compensation premiums by using time-tested techniques. J&L’s claims, premium, reserve and Experience Mod reviews have saved employers over $9.8 million in earned premiums over the last three years. J&L has saved numerous companies from bankruptcy proceedings as a result of insurance overpayments.

James has over 27 years of experience in insurance claims, audit, and underwriting, specializing in Workers’ Compensation. He has supervised, and managed the administration of Workers’ Compensation claims, and underwriting in over 45 states. His professional experience includes being the Director of Risk Management for the North Carolina School Boards Association. He created a very successful Workers’ Compensation Injury Rehabilitation Unit for school personnel.

James’s educational background, which centered on computer technology, culminated in earning a Masters of Business Administration (MBA); an Associate in Claims designation (AIC); and an Associate in Risk Management designation (ARM). He is a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) and a licensed financial advisor. The NC Department of Insurance has certified him as an insurance instructor. He also possesses a Bachelors’ Degree in Actuarial Science.

LexisNexis has twice recognized his blog as one of the Top 25 Blogs on Workers’ Compensation. J&L has been listed in AM Best’s Preferred Providers Directory for Insurance Experts – Workers Compensation for over eight years. He recently won the prestigious Baucom Shine Lifetime Achievement Award for his volunteer contributions to the area of risk management and safety. James was recently named as an instructor for the prestigious Insurance Academy.

James is on the Board of Directors and Treasurer of the North Carolina Mid-State Safety Council. He has published two manuals on Workers’ Compensation and three different claims processing manuals. He has also written and has been quoted in numerous articles on reducing Workers’ Compensation costs for public and private employers. James publishes a weekly newsletter with 7,000 readers.

He currently possess press credentials and am invited to various national Workers Compensation conferences as a reporter.

James’s articles or interviews on Workers’ Compensation have appeared in the following publications or websites:
• Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS)
• Entrepreneur Magazine
• Bloomberg Business News
• WorkCompCentral.com
• Claims Magazine
• Risk & Insurance Magazine
• Insurance Journal
• Workers Compensation.com
• LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites
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