ReEmployAbility Blog

What’s one of our best kept secrets????

Frances Ford — Mon, 07 May 2012 19:12:51 +0000

Loyal, hardworking employees are the pride of every employer and longevity in a position is especially treasured these days. That’s why we are so proud to announce that Corie Wider just celebrated her 5 year anniversary with us!! Corie embraces the heart and soul of our company. As an Account Manager, Corie takes the role to a whole new level in this industry. She wants every adjuster, attorney, employer and injured worker she speaks with every day to understand how to best use or benefit from our services – without wasting their time or money! She is an expert at finding out a customer’s goals and expertly leads them to the best solution. It’s a great talent. But here’s the best kept secret of all, not only is she a dedicated and outstanding member of our staff, she is genuinely one of the funniest people you will ever encounter. She keeps our work environment rocking with her effervescent personality and quick sense of humor. Corie gives us so much material to work with, that when we decided to commemorate her 5 year milestone with a fun poem about a Day in the Life of Corie, our resident poet-laureate, Margaret, had to heavily edit down the enormous content!

So, the next time you speak to Corie, be sure to congratulate her and don’t forget to ask about

her method of determine if driving restrictions can be accommodated…

her new shoes…

Congratulations, Corie Wider – you made it!

Deb and Frances

Owners

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ReEmployAbility is a premier provider of vocational services and transitional employment programs. When faced with the challenges of return-to-work, there’s only one name you need to remember – ReEmployAbility. For more information, call (866) 663-9880.

Learn more about Transition to work programs in the US today.

We are excited about our newest Marketing Representative!

Abby Torres — Fri, 04 May 2012 18:36:08 +0000

And you will be too when you meet Michele Adams – the energetic and enthusiastic professional who joined ReEmployAbility’s Marketing Team this month!

Michele is based in Dallas, Texas. She will be reaching out to all of our valued customers in the great state of Texas and introduce new employers and carriers to the benefits of utilizing our Transition2Work program. Texas is a great state for employers and the Texas Department of Worker’s Compensation is committed to promoting the benefits return-to-work programs to help employers reduce costs.

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ReEmployAbility is a premier provider of vocational services and transitional employment programs. When faced with the challenges of return-to-work, there’s only one name you need to remember – ReEmployAbility. For more information, call (866) 663-9880.
ReEmployAbility is proud to be a Certified Minority, Women Owned Business.
Learn more about Transition to work programs in the US today.

Recent Georgia ruling is good news for employers using non-profit agencies for transitional duty

Frances Ford — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 20:32:02 +0000

In an Order dated February 22, 2012, the Administrative Law Judge ruled that the employer’s offer to return an employee to light duty in a volunteer position for another organization through a transitional return to work program is suitable employment.   Furthermore, Judge Tifverman ruled the Employer/Insurer may unilateral suspend benefits during the continuance of employee’s refusal to attempt the proffered job. The transitional duty offer was approved by the employee’s authorized treating physician and the employee would remain an employed by the employer during the assignment.

Read the entire Order at www.ReEmployAbility.com/Industry-News

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ReEmployAbility is a premier provider of vocational services and transitional employment programs. When faced with the challenges of return-to-work, there’s only one name you need to remember – ReEmployAbility. For more information, call (866) 663-9880.
Learn more about Transition to work programs in the US today.

• Florida’s vocational statute – gutted! Impacts re-training benefits of Florida’s injured workers

Frances Ford — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 15:22:55 +0000

Effective July 1, 2012, the longstanding Florida Statutes governing the requirements for carriers to provide vocational assistance and re-training to injured workers takes a dramatic turn as F.S. 440.491 is repealed and amended.

The 2011 Florida legislature passed a bill striking carrier requirements to provide reemployment services to injured workers.   All future regulatory responsibility for retraining programs has been transferred to the Department of Financial Services. The only remaining remnants of the reemployment statute are the definitions.   Gone is the language regarding legislative intent. Rules and requirements for carriers to conduct periodic re-employment status reviews or notify injured workers of state re-training programs have vanished.   No longer is there any reference to a conflict of interest for carriers to choose a vocational provider who may conduct reemployment assessments and provide the recommended services. And while the statute retained the definition of credentialed vocational providers, the regulatory oversight of their services was removed.

State re-training and education funding for injured workers disappeared last July when the Department of Education began to unravel. The current amendments provide the Department of Financial Services funding to hire 5 full-time positions for the 2012-2013 fiscal year and authority to contract with third parties to take over the administrative functions of training and education.

If you have questions about these important changes and how it impacts the handling of your claims, please call the experts at ReEmployAbility!

To read the Summary of HB 5203, go to www.ReEmployAbility.com/Industry-News

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ReEmployAbility is a premier provider of vocational services and transitional employment programs. When faced with the challenges of return-to-work, there’s only one name you need to remember – ReEmployAbility. For more information, call (866) 663-9880.
Learn more about Transition to work programs in the US today.

ReEmployAbility attends Annual FrankCrum Invitational Golf Tournament

Abby Torres — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:44:35 +0000

You couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day to play golf as ReEmployAbility joined over 240 other golfers at the Annual FrankCrum Invitational Golf Tournament at Innisbrook, Florida. This spectacular course is home of the Transitions PGA Championship next month. As eager foursomes heading out to the beautiful surroundings on the Island and Copperhead courses, no one could contain the excitement of the chance to play in such a wonderful event.

ReEmployAbility is proud to be a Silver Sponsor of the tournament for the fourth year in a row and part of the largest fundraiser for non-profit organization, Trinity Café . Trinity Café, based in Tampa, Florida, serves over 200 hot meals every day to the homeless, having served over 717,000 meals since its inception in 2001.

Bob O’Halloran, Vice President of Summit Insurance in Lakeland, Florida joined ReEmployAbility’s co-founders Debra Livingston and Frances Ford for this year’s event. Thankfully, Bob contributed many of the much needed long drives to help our foursome maintain a respectable score.

The FrankCrum Tournament is a key industry event, growing in popularity each year as a highly sought-after golf outing for insurance professionals. Much of the tremendous success of the tournament is attributed to Bridgette Becker, Vice President of Claims for FrankCrum Insurance.

If you are interested in joining us next year, please contact Mary Bennett at ReEmployAbility for more information.

Is it a fox or a squirrel? Hole #5, Copperhead Course.

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ReEmployAbility is a premier provider of vocational services and transitional employment programs. When faced with the challenges of return-to-work, there’s only one name you need to remember – ReEmployAbility. For more information, call (866) 663-9880.
ReEmployAbility is proud to be a Certified Minority, Women Owned Business.
Learn more about Transition to work programs in the US today.

Time flies when you’re having fun!

Frances Ford — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:38:27 +0000

Can you believe that we are already hurtling into the last week of January 2012? As we proceed with lighting speed through this New Year, already exciting things are happening that I am anxious to share.

First and foremost, 2012 is ReEmployAbility’s ninth year in business!! We are so thankful to have the support and partnerships with such great customers who have helped contribute to our longevity and continuing success. And 2012 is looking to be a banner year to launch some very exciting processes which are designed to help our customers better analyze costs savings.

We have begun to incorporate ODG (Occupational Disability Guidelines) return to work data in savings reports for our Transition2Work program. By mapping national return to work statistics to individual claims experience, a carrier or employer will be able to compare how well their program is performing to the rest of the industry. This methodology further validates the dollars saved by using a transitional duty program which places injured employees in non-profit organizations when they are not able to return to the job site. The preliminary reports are indicating dramatic savings when using the Transition2Work Program.

ReEmployAbility is also excited to launch our new benchmark and performance outcomes reports for customers to easily reflect their RTW statistics, results and savings.

As the Transition2Work program continues to expand to more and more employers nationwide, (over 400 employers currently use the program) the national data being reviewed will far extend beyond the savings analysis. All customers will benefit from the shared experiences of reviewing injury types by ICD-9 codes, industry classifications, number of lost time days experience before and after program participation as well as drilling down to employee behavior and results.

These are exciting advances we will continue to enhance going forward this year. Of course, adding this valuable resource to our service would not be possible without the collaborative input from our clients. And for that, we are truly grateful.

ReEmployAbility is proud to announce its certification as Minority Business Enterprise.

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ReEmployAbility is a premier provider of vocational services and transitional employment programs. When faced with the challenges of return-to-work, there’s only one name you need to remember – ReEmployAbility. For more information, call (866) 663-9880.
Learn more about Transition to work programs in the US today.

Our clients say it best…

Abby Torres — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 18:37:02 +0000

“This is a win win program. [The claimant] is a natural with people so we greatly benefit from his respect of elderly, his sincerity, his humor and his work ethic. Thank you for sending him our way!”

From: Mary Geil, Volunteer Supervisor – WesleyLife (Not-For-Profit Organization)

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ReEmployAbility is a premier provider of vocational services and transitional employment programs. When faced with the challenges of return-to-work, there’s only one name you need to remember – ReEmployAbility. For more information, call (866) 663-9880.
ReEmployAbility is proud to be a Certified Minority, Women Owned Business.
Learn more about Transition to work programs in the US today.

Adding a Boost of Enthusiasm to your Worker’s Volunteering Experience

Abby Torres — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 14:59:06 +0000

After a work-related injury, starting a new placement at a volunteer organization while recovering can be intimidating and overwhelming. ReEmployAbility understands and acknowledges those concerns, which is exactly why we’ve developed a new introductory brochure. The brochure explains the benefits of volunteering and how the Transition2Work program will help injured workers recover sooner while gaining new skills and a better sense of value.

ReEmployAbility believes in the benefits of volunteering and the power of a positive attitude. With a better understanding of these benefits, employees are more likely to participate in the program, in turn increasing the return-to-work success rate.

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ReEmployAbility is a premier provider of vocational services and transitional employment programs. When faced with the challenges of return-to-work, there’s only one name you need to remember – ReEmployAbility. For more information, call (866) 663-9880.
ReEmployAbility is proud to be a Certified Minority, Women Owned Business.
Learn more about Transition to work programs in the US today.

Celebrating 100 Years of Comp!

Abby Torres — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 19:45:38 +0000

It was great seeing everyone at the 2011 WCCP Conference last month! We enjoyed celebrating 100 years of Workers’ Compensation among the best in the industry!

Right to Left: Mary Bennett, Debra Livingston, Corie Wider

Please contact us for more information on how ReEmployAbility can assist with your Return to Work needs! (866) 663-9880

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ReEmployAbility is a premier provider of vocational services and transitional employment programs. When faced with the challenges of return-to-work, there’s only one name you need to remember – ReEmployAbility. For more information, call (866) 663-9880.
ReEmployAbility is proud to be a Certified Minority, Women Owned Business.
Learn more about Transition to work programs in the US today.

There’s a new sheriff in town: 3 things carriers should know about the Florida Statute Changes effective 7/1/2011.

Frances Ford — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 14:49:20 +0000

Confusion continues for carriers on the new statute wording that changed the game for re-employment services in Florida. Some carriers discontinued filing forms when notified the Bureau of Re-employment and Rehabilitation (BRRS) was stripped of its regulatory powers and lost 2/3’s of its funding.

But, non-compliance could be costly. Willfully ignoring a statutory requirement could cost carriers up to 100k in penalties on audit.

Here are three things carriers should review very carefully:

Form Filing Compliance Remains: The Re-employment Status Reports (DWC-22) are still required but they don’t go to the state. Now they must be sent to the claimant.

New Sheriff with Penalty Power: Regulatory powers were transferred to Department of Financial Services (DFS) and until new rules are written to enforce the 7/1/2011 changes, carriers are wise to keep all compliance measures in place. This includes the timely payment rules for DWC-21’s. The electronic filing of DWC-21 to Department of Education is over but DFS will take over audit and enforcement duties. Best not to take chances.

Retraining Budget Cuts Means New Game Plan For Adjusters:   The BRRS is in turmoil and carriers requesting state retraining services should anticipate denials. The bureau was inefficient and ineffective before and they won’t improve with less money. Obtaining a re-employment assessment first that outlines re-employment or training objectives is money well spent. Seeking state re-training assistance without one is unwise.

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ReEmployAbility is a premier provider of vocational services and transitional employment programs. When faced with the challenges of return-to-work, there’s only one name you need to remember – ReEmployAbility. For more information, call (866) 663-9880.
Learn more about Transition to work programs in the US today.