June 2012 Employee of the Month

Subrogation is a critical part of any insurance business — especially here at BWC. It’s a legal process to recoup claims costs for which another party or parties are responsible. Since subrogation happens after BWC has already paid a claim, it can be an important step in our claims-resolution process. Successful recovery of costs we’ve paid on claims saves employers money. It also helps BWC keep rates low — ultimately, providing a much more cost-efficient system of care for injured workers.

Ensuring superior subrogation service
That’s what led two co-workers and a supervisor to nominate the June recipient of the BWC Employee of the Month award. The recipient is an attorney in BWC’s Legal Division.

Since July 2011, this employee has worked with BWC’s IT Division to improve and implement new features to a Web-based subrogation application. It’s one that the recipient’s co-workers in the Legal Division’s subrogation and fraud support department use every day to track subrogation claims and payments. The automated features of the new application save time and allow for a more convenient and efficient process.

June’s Employee of the Month was instrumental in telling IT staff what was needed and to answer their questions and test the process. So far, there have been several releases of the application, which subrogation staff members use. The project is likely to be complete sometime early fall.

High praise from supervisor, co-workers
In three separate nominations, the recipient’s colleagues noted her diligence and professionalism. They also noted that she volunteered to work on the project.

“Although not trained in the field of computer software development, she has taken the project head-on and has become more knowledgeable in software development than she most likely ever wanted,” said one co-worker in his nomination. “The benefits of (these) voluntary efforts are felt not only by co-workers in the subrogation section, but also by the bureau as a whole as well as employers — all of which will surely reap a financial benefit due to the increased production in subrogation collections due to the new system.”

Another co-worker who submitted a nomination said: The employee “has been diligent to include the subrogation team in the testing process and continually requests and utilizes their feedback to make decisions that are best suited for the group. This employee’s focus on teamwork and accessibility to the IT project team has shown … dedication in ensuring we receive a comprehensive program to collect money for the State Insurance Fund.”

In addition, the recipient’s supervisor said the employee “is tenacious in making sure that the work is done correctly. The employee is a strong team player and is not afraid to ask questions to lead to a better result; is also strong in making decisions and giving team members direction if the project is stalled. A friendly demeanor and great communication skills make this employee an effective contributor to any project. This employee always approaches any job with a positive, can-do attitude, which tends to bring out the best performance in others. As one of the hardest working attorneys in the Legal Division, this employee often gets compliments from both internal and external customers. The members of the IT team assigned to the subrogation project often share how much they appreciate this staff member’s work and dedication to giving them the information and guidance they need to complete the project.”