A Compensation or Benefits Manager manages compensation and benefits systems and records for an organization or company. Determines pay structure and job classifications for company employees. Supervises payroll, accounting of employee benefits, and payout of benefits such as pensions or disability insurance.
LaborMax Staffing Corporate Office- Kearney, MO The Workers' Compensation Manager is responsible for the day-to-day leadership and performance of the company's workers' compensation and workplace injury claims program. This position manages workplace injury claims from initial reporting through resolution and closure, with a focus on timely reporting, appropriate medical care, effective return-to-work strategies, claim cost control, accurate reserving, and strong coordination with internal and external partners. The Workers' Compensation Manager serves as the company's primary operational expert on workers' compensation claims and works closely with the Director of Risk & Safety, claims administration staff, branch and regional leadership, insurance carriers, third-party administrators, medical providers, legal counsel, and other stakeholders. This position is expected to actively manage claims rather than simply monitor their progress. The Workers' Compensation Manager is responsible for identifying issues, challenging unnecessary delays or costs, driving return-to-work opportunities, and ensuring that significant claim developments are communicated and addressed. The position also plays an important role in injury prevention by identifying claim trends and communicating meaningful findings to the Director of Risk & Safety and Safety team.
Responsibilities:
Claims Management Manage and oversee the company's workers' compensation claims from initial injury reporting through resolution and closure. Ensure workplace injuries are reported accurately and timely to appropriate insurance carriers, third-party administrators, and internal stakeholders. Review new claims promptly to understand the incident, injury, work status, medical treatment, compensability issues, and potential exposure. Establish an appropriate management strategy for significant, complex, lost-time, litigated, or high-cost claims. Maintain regular communication with adjusters and other claim partners to ensure claims are progressing appropriately. Identify claims that have become inactive, delayed, over-reserved, under-reserved, or unnecessarily complex and take action to move them toward resolution. Review medical treatment, work restrictions, lost-time status, indemnity payments, reserves, legal activity, and settlement opportunities. Challenge unnecessary delays, excessive treatment, inappropriate reserves, and other claim management concerns when appropriate. Escalate significant claims, adverse developments, or unusual exposures to the Director of Risk & Safety. Ensure appropriate documentation and internal records are maintained for all claims. New Injury and Incident Response Ensure all reported workplace injuries receive prompt review and appropriate follow-up. Confirm that required incident information, witness statements, photographs, worksite information, job duties, training records, and other relevant documentation are collected. Coordinate with branch and regional leadership to obtain complete and accurate information regarding reported incidents. Identify injuries that require immediate escalation due to severity, potential regulatory reporting requirements, unusual circumstances, or significant financial exposure. Support serious incident response and investigations led by the Director of Risk & Safety or Safety team. Preserve and organize claim-related information that may be needed for regulatory, insurance, or legal purposes. Ensure employees receive appropriate information regarding the workers' compensation process and next steps. Return-to-Work Management Lead the company's return-to-work and modified-duty programs. Work with branches, regional leaders, medical providers, adjusters, and other stakeholders to identify appropriate modified-duty opportunities. Review work restrictions promptly and ensure changes in employee work status are communicated to appropriate parties. Reduce unnecessary lost time by actively pursuing safe and appropriate return-to-work opportunities. Identify barriers preventing employees from returning to work and develop strategies to address those barriers. Monitor employees who are working under restrictions and ensure modified-duty arrangements remain appropriate. Track return-to-work performance and identify branches or regions that require additional support or accountability. Claim Reviews and Reserve Management Conduct regular claim reviews with insurance carriers, third-party administrators, brokers, legal counsel, and internal stakeholders. Prepare for claim reviews by identifying priority claims, questions, action items, reserve concerns, and opportunities for closure. Maintain a clear understanding of the company's highest-cost and highest-risk open claims. Review reserve changes and understand the basis for significant increases or decreases. Challenge reserves when they do not appear to reflect current claim facts or likely outcomes. Track action items from claim reviews and ensure appropriate follow-up. Identify claims that may be appropriate for settlement, closure, subrogation, recovery, or other resolution strategies. Provide the Director of Risk & Safety with timely information regarding significant reserve developments and financial exposure. Litigation and Complex Claims Coordinate the company's involvement in litigated workers' compensation claims. Work with adjusters and legal counsel to understand litigation strategy, exposure, significant deadlines, and potential outcomes. Ensure internal stakeholders provide requested documents, information, and support in a timely manner. Participate in strategy discussions involving significant or complex claims. Monitor legal expenses and the progress of litigated claims. Identify opportunities to resolve litigation efficiently when appropriate. Escalate significant legal developments and potential exposures to the Director of Risk & Safety. Medical Management Monitor the effectiveness of occupational medical providers and treatment networks. Work with carriers and third-party administrators to address concerns regarding medical treatment, provider performance, or delays in care. Help ensure employees are directed to appropriate medical care consistent with applicable state requirements. Review treatment patterns and identify potential concerns involving excessive treatment, delays, or provider performance. Support the development of preferred occupational medical provider relationships where appropriate. OSHA Recordkeeping and Regulatory Reporting Maintain or oversee the company's OSHA injury and illness records. Review incidents to determine OSHA recordability and classification. Ensure
OSHA 300
Logs, 301 Incident Reports, and 300A Summaries are accurate and completed as required. Coordinate with the Director of Risk & Safety and Safety team regarding incidents that may trigger regulatory reporting or investigation. Maintain documentation supporting recordability decisions. Monitor regulatory developments affecting workplace injury reporting and recordkeeping. Claims Data and Analysis Maintain accurate and timely workers' compensation claims data. Track and analyze claim frequency, severity, costs, reserves, lost time, litigation, and closure performance. Identify trends by region, branch, client, industry, job classification, assignment type, injury type, and other relevant factors. Provide regular claims reporting to the Director of Risk & Safety. Identify emerging patterns that may require field safety intervention. Work with the Safety team to ensure claims experience is translated into practical prevention strategies. Support insurance renewals, audits, underwriting submissions, and other risk-related data requests. Internal Partnership and Communication Serve as the primary workers' compensation resource for branch and regional leadership. Provide guidance regarding injury reporting, medical treatment, work restrictions, return-to-work expectations, and claim-related processes. Establish clear expectations for branch and regional responsibilities following a workplace injury. Hold operational leaders accountable for timely reporting, complete documentation, and cooperation with return-to-work efforts. Communicate significant claim developments to appropriate internal stakeholders. Partner with Human Resources, Payroll, Legal, Operations, and Safety as needed. Provide training to managers regarding workers' compensation procedures and responsibilities. Team Leadership Supervise and develop claims administration personnel. Establish clear responsibilities, workflows, service standards, and performance expectations for the claims team. Ensure consistent claim documentation and follow-up practices. Monitor workloads and assign claims or responsibilities appropriately. Coach team members on claim management, communication, judgment, and escalation. Identify opportunities to improve claims processes, systems, and technology.
Qualifications:
Required High School Diploma or GED Significant experience in workers' compensation claims management, risk management, insurance, or a related field . Strong working knowledge of workers' compensation claim processes. Experience managing complex, lost-time, litigated, or high-cost claims. Understanding of medical terminology, work restrictions, return-to-work practices, and claim reserving. Knowledge of OSHA injury and illness recordkeeping requirements. Experience working with insurance carriers, third-party administrators, adjusters, medical providers, and legal counsel. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. Ability to interpret claims data and identify meaningful trends. Strong written and verbal communication skills. Ability to manage multiple priorities and respond effectively to urgent incidents. Preferred OSHA 30 or OSHA 10 Certification. Multi-state workers' compensation experience. Experience in staffing, construction, manufacturing, logistics, industrial, skilled trades, or another high-risk workforce environment. Experience supervising claims administration personnel. Experience with self-insured, high-deductible, or shared-risk workers' compensation programs. Experience with insurance renewals and underwriting processes. Relevant professional certification such as AIC, ARM, or equivalent. Physical Demands and Abilities The physical demands described here represent those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made for individuals with disabilities. Ability to remain in a stationary position for extended periods Ability to regularly stand, walk, climb, and use hands to feel objects, tools, and controls. Frequent use of keyboard to enter data Occasional movement within the office to access files and supplies Regular interaction with staff Use of computer, phone, fax, copier, and standard office equipment Ability to lift or move 20 to 50 lbs. Visual acuity for reading and reviewing documents Ability to travel regularly to branch locations or client sites. Moderate noise level in the work environment Nothing in this job description restricts Management's right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. This job description is subject to change at any time. LaborMax Staffing offers a benefit package that includes health, life and dental insurance. Vacation is accrued and increased with the years of service. We have a business casual dress policy. We are committed to equal employment opportunity and compliance with all laws and regulations. Our policy is to provide employment, training, compensation, promotion and other conditions or opportunities of employment, without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, transgender, national origin, disability, genetic information, veteran or marital status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Job Type:
Full-time Pay:
From $95,000.00 per year
Benefits:
Dental insurance Employee assistance program Health insurance Health savings account Life insurance Paid time off Vision insurance
Education:
Associate (Preferred)
Experience:
Management of Workers' Compensation claims: 3 years (Preferred)
