Policy Name:	Risk Management Essentials
Policy #:	EP-18-04
Code/Rule Reference	ORC 4123.29 and 4123.34. OAC 4123-17-56.2; 4123-17-61.1; 4123-17-74, Appendix C.
Effective Date:	July 1, 2025
Approved:	Rex Blateri, Chief of Employer Services
Origin:	Employer Policy
Supersedes:	N/A
History:	Revised June 3, 2025. New policy issued April 15, 2025.
Review Date:	July 1, 2028

 

I.       Policy Purpose

 

The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) created Risk Management Essentials as a three-year pilot program that requires employers to complete safety and claims management training through a certified sponsoring organization to qualify for a bonus.

II.     Applicability

The policy applies to BWC Employer Programs, the Office of Safety Services, sponsoring organizations, employers, and their authorized representatives.

III.   Definition

Risk Management Essentials sponsoring organization: A third party administrator, pursuant to the Employer Authorized Representatives policy with a Group/Claim Representative (CLM), Employer Risk/Claim Representative (ERC), or Risk Management Representative (RISK) designation; a safety council sponsor; or an entity with governing members, which is certified by BWC pursuant to the requirements outlined in OAC 4123-17-61.1 and BWC’s Sponsorship Certification policy to sponsor and market Group Experience Rating and Group Retrospective Rating programs.

IV.   Policy

A.      Eligibility criteria.

1.      The employer must be enrolled in and eligible for the Safety Council Rebate Program as set forth in OAC 4123-17-56.2.

2.      The employer must be a state fund private employer (PA employer) or a state fund public employer taxing district (PEC employer).

3.      As of the enrollment deadline, the employer must:

a.      Be current with respect to all payments due BWC as defined in OAC 4123-17-14;

b.      Be in an active policy status, which does not include an employer with a coverage status of "no coverage" or "lapsed";

c.       Not have cumulative lapses in workers' compensation coverage in excess of forty (40) days within the preceding twelve (12) months; and

d.      Report actual payroll for the preceding policy year and pay any premium due upon reconciliation of estimated premium with actual premium for that policy year no later than the application deadline. See the Payroll True-Up policy for additional information.

4.      The following employers are not eligible for Risk Management Essentials:

a.      Self-insuring employers;

b.      State agencies;

c.       Employers participating in Group Experience Rating, the Group Retrospective Rating Program, Retrospective Rating, or the Deductible Program; and

d.      Client employers of a professional employer organization (PEO) to the extent the client employer reports payroll to BWC under the PEO’s policy number; client employers of a PEO will be eligible if they report all payroll under the client employer’s policy number and comply with the requirements of sections IV.A.1 through IV.A.3 above.

5.      An alternate employer organization (AEO) or a PEO is not eligible for the Risk Management Essentials bonus unless all of the following conditions are met.

a.      The AEO or the PEO, and each of the client employers of the AEO or the PEO, meet all eligibility and program requirements.

b.      The AEO or the PEO submits affirmation to BWC that the AEO or the PEO, and each of the client employers of the AEO or the PEO, have submitted applications as set forth in this policy.

c.       The AEO or the PEO submits an electronic list to BWC of each of the client employers with whom the AEO or the PEO has an agreement as of May 1 of the applicable policy year.

i.        BWC will determine the format of the list.

ii.      The AEO or the PEO will include each client employer's name, address, federal tax identification number (TIN), BWC policy number, and amount of payroll listed by classification code.

iii.    If BWC determines the AEO or the PEO manipulated the client list, the AEO or the PEO will not be eligible for the Risk Management Essentials bonus.

iv.     BWC will hold the list as a confidential trade secret per ORC 4125.05 and 4133.07.

B.      Application requirements.

1.      Sponsoring organizations market the program and compile and submit a Risk Management Essentials roster of enrolling employers to BWC. Employers must enroll with a sponsoring organization to participate.

2.      Sponsoring organizations must be approved as of the last business day of April prior to the beginning of the program year.

3.      The sponsoring organization must file Risk Management Essentials rosters with BWC by the last business day of May.

C.      Program requirements.

1.      An employer must participate in the Safety Council Rebate Program and be eligible for the Safety Council Rebate to qualify for the Risk Management Essentials bonus.

2.      The employer must complete six hours of safety and claims management training provided by a sponsoring organization covering topics approved by BWC.

3.      BWC will maintain on its website a list of safety and claims management topics which sponsoring organizations may use to qualify for program credit.

4.      The safety and claims management training must be conducted live and in real-time. The training may be done in person or virtually online. BWC will not accept non-live training for program credit, such as recorded webinars or on-demand videos.

5.      The sponsoring organization must maintain proof of employer attendance and completion of the training. The sponsoring organization must provide proof to BWC upon request.

6.      The sponsoring organization must provide proof of active learning by trainees for any training performed virtually online to BWC upon request through the use of an assessment activity or attendee engagement tool.

7.      A trainee can represent only one policy number when attending a training event.

8.      BWC will not accept any training used to satisfy the requirements of another BWC program, e.g., Safety Council Rebate Program or Substance Use Prevention & Recovery, to count towards meeting the six training hours required by Risk Management Essentials.

D.     Program bonus.

1.      An employer completing program requirements may be eligible to receive the Risk Management Essentials bonus.

2.      The Risk Management Essentials bonus is five percent (5%) of the employer’s premium for the program period up to a maximum of $25,000.

3.      The sponsoring organization must provide BWC with a list of employers that completed safety and claims management training by the specified deadline.

4.      BWC has the authority to audit the sponsoring organization’s records.

5.      To qualify for the Risk Management Essentials bonus, the employer must:

a.      Have coverage that is in an active status at the time of calculation; and

b.      Report actual payroll for the preceding policy year, and pay any premium due upon reconciliation of estimated premium and actual premium for that policy year, no later than the date set forth in OAC 4123-17-14.

6.      The Risk Management Essentials bonus and the incentives earned through other bonus and rebate programs cannot reduce an employer’s premium below the amount of the minimum administrative charge as set forth in OAC 4123-17-26.

7.      BWC will not issue a Risk Management Essentials bonus to an employer paying the minimum administrative charge as set forth in OAC 4123-17-26.

8.      Rate adjustments made to an employer’s account after the issuance of the Risk Management Essentials bonus may result in recalculation of the Risk Management Essentials bonus.

E.      Resolution of complaints.

1.      Employer complaints are processed under the General Employer Complaint Policy.

2.      BWC has not identified any program-specific extenuating circumstances that apply to the Risk Management Essentials program.