PIM 04: Leave Administration – Workers’ Compensation Leave

Date: December 1, 2020

Contact: Workers Compensation Administrator – ext. 74681

COMPENSABLE ACCIDENT

  • When an employee is injured on the job as the result of a compensable accident and loses time from work due to injury, the employee shall not be charged leave for time lost from work on the day of the injury.
  • If the injury results in additional time away from work, the employee must be placed on workers’ compensation leave and be paid the workers’ compensation weekly benefit after the required waiting period (currently seven calendar days).
  • The supervisor of an employee who loses time from work as the result of a job-related injury must notify the Workers’ Compensation Administrator of the occurrence immediately.

NOTIFICATION

  • The Workers’ Compensation Administrator (WCA) will provide the injured employee the Workers’ Compensation Employee Handbook and explain the options available to cover the required waiting period before weekly benefits are paid. At the same time, the WCA will send written notification to the employee’s supervisor (with copy to the appropriate Department Chair or Director, if applicable) and the Payroll Section that the employee has been placed on workers’ compensation leave (or sick/vacation leave, if available, during the required waiting period). Once a supervisor receives notification from the WCA that the injured employee has been placed on workers’ compensation leave, leave accounting for the employee passes from the supervisor to the Risk Management and Insurance Office.
  • The WCA will concurrently advise the injured employee regarding the continuation of benefits while on workers’ compensation leave.

RETURN TO WORK

  • Upon release by the treating physician to return to work, the employee must contact the WCA before returning to the job and provide a fitness for duty certification by the treating physician. Supervisors are responsible for ensuring that employees returning from workers’ compensation leave have written authorization (Fitness for Duty Certification) from the WCA to return to work. Once the supervisor receives the employee’s authorization to return to work, leave accounting for the employee passes from the Risk Management and Insurance Office back to the supervisor.
  • Any further absence for workers’ compensation medical follow-up or other workers’ compensation activity must be documented on the Employee’s Time Record by the supervisor (copy of the employee’s Time Record should be forwarded to the WCA).

PIM Number: 04

PIM Category: Environmental Health and Safety