For additional information regarding any of the services described below, call the AGC Group Retro office at 360-352-1632 or Toll Free 888-227-3876.
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| Claims Support |
AGC Group Retro has certified Worker’s Compensation Claims Consultants who know the RCW’s, WAC’s, case law, L&I policies, and internal Departmental practices to facilitate action and resolve your claims. AGC consultants can represent you on protests and appeals up through the mediation hearings at the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals (BIIA) and have a high success rate at resolving claims in mediation.
Claims Consultants consult with employers on any industrial insurance issue and canact as liaison between your company, L&I, vocational counselors, physicians and attorneys.
AGC Claims Consultants review all members’ industrial insurance claims. Time loss claims are targeted to assist members with light duty return-to-work accommodation and kept-on-salary efforts. In addition, all occupational disease claims are targeted for assistance in obtaining the worker’s employment history and clarification from the doctor as to the specific duties the worker performed which contributed to the development of the occupational condition. Potential long-term disability claims are identified early on and AGC claims consultants are in contact with members regarding action plans and to assist in expediting resolution of outstanding issues.
Claims Consultants can travel to your job-site to talk with employees or management about the L&I claims processes, workers compensation costs, effective loss control practices, and the bottom line benefits of working safe.
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| Return To Work Modified Duty Site Resource Centers |
AGC has the most advanced return-to-work services in the state and has been recognized by the National Industrial Insurance Boards and Commissions for having the most innovative approach to light duty. Both Labor and L&I are supportive of the curriculum and the Modified Duty Site Resource Center program as meaningful and viable temporary transitional work. The major emphasis is the study of the laws and rules applicable to construction for which all employees are to have a working knowledge of. After the initial study of the core L&I safety rules, duties can be customized such that your employees can receive OSHA 10 Hour training, CPR/First Aid certification, Flagger certification, study for their CDL certification and license, as well as, complete their GED. We have four “centers” located in Seattle, Fife, Spokane and Everett with Safety Educators, Inc. In addition, we also contract with FACT Consulting to provide a center in Yakima. See list of these centers below.
For injured employees restricted from travel, or for employers desiring to have the employee at their office, we have the same safety curriculum portable for use at any location. In fact, members have even used the curriculum in Oregon and Alaska. AGC Retro consultants do all the leg work for you as they send the job analysis and list of duties to the doctor, and the job offer letter to the worker (directions to the classroom, etc.), both via certified mail and customary delivery. Plus, AGC Retro consultants work with the Department, physicians, attorneys, and injured worker to help expedite the return to work.
There is no fee or tuition for AGC Group Retro participants enrolled in an open plan year. Non-AGC members will be charged $75 per day for tuition and administrative expenses. Non-Retro AGC members will be charged $35 per day. Members of competing retro programs, regardless of AGC affiliation, will be charged $150 per day. Employers will be invoiced within 30 days of release of the employee from the Modified Duty Program by Safety Educators, Inc. Payment is then due within 15 days.
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| Retraining Programs |
If workers are not released to return to their job of injury and do not have transferable skills within their permanent restrictions, they may be entitled to L&I vocational retraining benefits. To provide injured craftspeople with an opportunity to remain in the industry they enjoy while earning a more comparable salary, AGC and Safety Educators, Inc. have four retraining programs approved by L&I: Safety Coordinator, Assistant Project Manager, L&I Risk Manager, and Building Inspector. These programs involve classroom and on-the-job training (OJT). The L&I Risk Manager and Building Inspector position involves an OJT with the Department of Labor and Industries.
90 percent of the graduates of these programs are directly placed with an employer upon completion of the program. This is an incredible statistic when you consider many people completing vocational retraining programs are unable to get placed with an employer right away.
Companies interested in providing an OJT for the Safety Coordinator or Assistant Project Manager should contact Thom Willson at 253-219-4765. This is a great opportunity to assist an injured tradesperson in staying in the industry while receiving some help at your jobsite for a decreased rate of pay. L&I makes up the difference in their wages and does not charge you Accident Fund or Medical Aid Fund premiums for the OJT participants man-hours. In addition, the Department provides indemnification from any claim liability by the worker for up to 3 years. The Department provides this premium break and indemnification of claim liability to employers who provide OJT’s as an incentive to help keep someone in the workforce who has sustained a permanent restriction as a result of an on the job injury or disease.
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| Think Tanks |
These are roundtable discussion regarding L&I issues. Members can discuss their difficult situations and learn from other members’ best practices and from AGC Retro consultants. In addition, there are claims management workshops, fraud workshops, experience modification rate (EMR) workshops, as well as, meetings about L&I practices and recent policy changes.
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Locations of Modified Duty Resource Centers
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Seattle Location:
1100 Westlake Ave. N (physical)
1200 Westlake Ave. N, Suite 301 (mailing)
Seattle, WA 98109
Dan Moore
Phone: 800.562.2868
Fax: 206.285.4546
Monday through Friday
6:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Spokane Location:
9212 E. Montgomery, Suite 103
Spokane Valley, WA, 99206
Howard Hoefs
Phone: 509.893.1443
Fax: 509.893.1459
Monday through Friday
7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Fife Location:
3601 20th Street East
Fife, WA 98424
Jeff MacDonald
Phone: 253.922.6300
Fax: 253.922.6994
Monday through Friday
6:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Yakima Location:
FACT Consulting Services
112 West Nob Hill Blvd.
Yakima, WA 98902
Phone: 509.248.2373
Fax: 509.248.2884
Marysville Location:
9920 State Street, Suite A
Marysville, WA 98270
Bonnie J. Perry
Phone: 360.351.8111
Fax: 360.651.8101
Monday through Friday
6:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Portable Program:
Contact Dan Moore at 206.812.4860
For job analyses or information, please contact AGC Group Retro:
Phone: 888.22R.ETRO
Fax: 888.73R.ETRO
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