Train the Trainer: Topics and Tips for Effective Workers Compensation Training for First Line Supervisors

Transcription

1 Train the Trainer: Topics and Tips for Effective Workers Compensation Training for First Line Supervisors

2 Objectives Discuss the importance of an effective workers compensation supervisory training program Discuss effective methods in order to identify the needs and requirements at your facility in order to prioritize WC supervisory training

3 Objectives (cont) Provide a brief overview of the available courses to use in planning and conducting your training Discuss methods that can be used to determine what subjects to include in the supervisory training program

4 Objectives (cont) Discuss methods to use to determine the appropriate level of training for the program Discuss methods to use to increase interest in training topics

5 FECA Overview Introduction to the FECA Introduction to FECA Forms Basic Entitlements of the FECA Basic Requirements for FECA Claims

6 FECA Overview (cont) Brief discussion of claims management, return to work efforts, and fraud Provide basic knowledge of benefits entitlement under the FECA Provide information about the process of claim filing and adjudication Delineate the roles of DFEC, claimants, and agencies in the claims process

7 My Employee is Injured, Now What? Identify the appropriate response and action to be taken by a supervisor when an employee is injured on the job Understand the importance of timely filing of claims Understand how to determine the employee s duty status and appropriate leave status

8 My Employee is Injured, Now What? (cont) Understand the importance of accident investigation Understand the involvement of other parties in responding to the injury

9 Supervisor s Role in Return to Work Learn how to determine if documentation is sufficient to construct a limited duty job offer. Identify the components of a limited duty job offer. Discuss the supervisor s responsibility to offer limited duty. Provide tools to assist the supervisor in identifying limited duty opportunities.

10 Supervisor s Role in Return to Work (cont) Discuss the employees responsibility to provide duty status updates. Discuss the employee s responsibility to return to work when suitable work is offered Discuss the consequences of the employee not accepting the job offer and the actions of the supervisor pending a decision by OWCP.

11 Accident Investigation for Supervisors Broaden and develop supervisory knowledge base to conduct thorough investigations Accident investigation tips, techniques and collection tools Six keys to write a thorough accident report that may later be used by OWCP, OSHA or in litigation

12 Accident Investigation for Supervisors (cont) Discuss direct versus indirect costs of accidents/injuries Identify causes, contributing factors and trends in the work unit Accident prevention countermeasures

13 Understanding the Adjudication Process Recite the fundamentals of adjudication from a claims examiner s perspective. Identify the essential elements that must be satisfied before a claim is accepted.

14 Understanding the Adjudication Process (cont) Describe how a claims examiner develops the record. Discuss the roles of the Claims Examiner in communicating with the ACS medical authorization and bill payment center.

15 Occupational Disease Claims, Including Stress Identify the difference between CA-1 and CA-2 claims. Clarify the agency s role in providing the claimant with guidance and direction.

16 Occupational Disease Claims, Including Stress (cont) Know the difference between basic occupational disease and extended occupational disease claims. Understand the difference between compensable and non compensable factors of employment in stress claims.

17 Gold Nuggets of Medical Issues Identify the various situations encountered in Workers' Compensation cases that require Federalemploying agencies to obtain, review, consider and act on objective medical evidence. Describe the medical evidence required to obtain FECA benefits and the employee's obligation to provide such.

18 Gold Nuggets of Medical Issues (cont) Identify what is permissible and what is prohibited in seeking, accessing, reviewing or sharing employee medical information.

19 Managing the Paperwork Identify the forms required for filing an injury or illness Discuss the appropriate responses on the supervisor portion of the claim forms

20 Managing the Paperwork (cont) Discuss the importance of Communication with the Workers Compensation Specialist. Identify documents used to authorize medical treatment and duty status reports

21 Managing Leave due to OWCP Determine eligibility and entitlement to COP. Identify reason(s) for controverting COP. Identify valid reason(s) for terminating COP.

22 Managing Leave due to OWCP (cont) Discuss the appropriate use of leave for medical appointments and disability. Discuss the issues of coordination with timekeeping and fiscal. Discuss ensuring that timecards reflect the appropriate leave status.

23 Why is EEO Calling Me? Identify what parts of the EEO complaint process worker s compensation program managers may be asked to participate in. Identify worker s compensation issues that are always excluded from the complaint process.

24 The Importance of Supervisor s Roles and Responsibilities Impact the supervisor s role has on injured employees, mission, and cost to the organization How the supervisor can prevent employee injuries Importance of thorough investigations of all incidents

25 The Importance of Supervisor s Roles and Responsibilities (cont) How the supervisor can communicate with workers compensation staff The supervisor s role in return-to-work management Timekeeping practices for injured employees

26 The Importance of Supervisor s Roles and Responsibilities (cont) How to protect information related to on-the-job injuries

27 Know Your Audience When developing a training program it is important to understand who will be sitting in the audience listening to the information that is presented. Audience should be the determining factor on what topics are included in the training program, the level of detail to present on those topics, and how to make the training meaningful to the audience.

28 Know Your Audience (cont) Supervisory training would include different topics than training given to employees or to management officials. The topics included in the training should be relevant to the audience. It should include information that pertains to them and the actions they are required to take at the agency.

29 Know Your Audience (cont) Your audience will disengage if they have to determine which information pertains to them. A supervisory training program should contain topics for supervisors at the agency with specific points of contact and procedural references. Remember, the supervisor wants information they can use to help them do their job more efficiently.

30 Deer in the Headlights We have either been the deer or the one driving the car with the high beams on, but anyone who has given training or attended training should understand this concept. As a trainer you want to make sure your audience gets all the relevant information. How much is too much when it comes to the information presented in a training program? The answer will depend on a number of different factors unique to each agency.

31 Deer in the Headlights (cont) The answers to two questions, however, should provide you with a good idea as to the level of detail that you will need in your training program. What is the experience level of the supervisor s at your agency? How many claims are filed every year?

32 Deer in the Headlights Supervisor s Experience Level A more inexperienced supervisory workforce would require a lower level of detail since they would not normally have the experience base to pull from when dealing with a more detailed level of knowledge. In this case you can have too much of a good thing One way to mitigate this factor is to use scenarios in your training to present a realistic situation as a tool to provide information without overwhelming the learner.

33 Deer in the Headlights (cont) Supervisor s Experience Level Another method is to provide more detailed information for supervisors as supplemental information. This information can be provided as handouts or on an internal agency website. This concept allows the supervisor to access the more detailed information when they need it.

34 Deer in the Headlights (cont) For example: Supervisor s Experience Level Claims involving stress or other psychological conditions are some of the most complex cases supervisors will deal with. However, until a supervisor has to deal with a stress claim they will not really retain all the information and nuances associated with claims of this type.

35 Deer in the Headlights (cont) Supervisor s Experience Level Supervisory training could present a stress claim scenario to introduce the concepts for a claim such as this to a relatively inexperienced audience and then provide more detailed supplemental information (handouts, website) that the supervisor can access when they receive that stress claim from one of their employees.

36 Deer in the Headlights How many claims are filed? The number of claims filed will provide another indicator of your audiences experience with FECA claims. Your audience can consist of supervisors with years of experience but relatively little experience with FECA claims. Conversely, a relatively new supervisor who has had to deal with numerous claims will have a better understanding of FECA concepts and processes.

37 Deer in the Headlights (cont) How many claims are filed? The more claims a supervisor has had to deal with, the greater their own personal knowledge and experience base. These supervisors can more readily connect the dots from abstract to real life since they can access past experiences that are similar and make the connection. These supervisors can not only absorb more detailed information but can serve as a good resource in your training. They can provide real world insight as a supervisor.

38 What s in it for Me? The most effective way to get your point across to your audience it to make the topics relate to them in some way. Supervisors have a great deal of responsibility and have to keep track of a great deal of information. The one thing they lack is sufficient time to complete everything that needs to be done.

39 What s in it for Me? (cont) So how can you make your training program relevant to them? Present your training in such a way as to show your supervisors that the material will make things easier and take less time. Answer the question "What's in it for me? How exactly can you accomplish this connection?

40 What s in it for Me? (cont) It ties into the first topic, know your audience. Talk to your supervisors and find out what claim processes and procedures are the most time consuming and frustrating for them. Normally, they will not be shy to identify the things that keep them from doing their job.

41 What s in it for Me? (cont) As discussed in the Deer in the Headlights section these supervisors with a lot of claim experience are a good resource. Only in this case, it is for their insight into what aspects of your agency s process is not working from a supervisory point of view. Develop tools and solutions to present in your training that will address the areas that present problems for supervisors.

42 What s in it for Me? (cont) For example: If supervisors are having a hard time understanding your agency s process and the steps that they are required to take in a claim then one solution could be to develop a supervisory checklist that contains the actions a supervisor needs to take. The checklist could contain references to internal agency resources and POCs they can turn to for assistance.

43 Wrap it in a Bow A training program or a single training session will provide information on a series of topics related to a particular subject. That is pretty straightforward. What the training will fail to do many times is to relate the topics to one another. The training program needs to help the audience understand the relationships between the topics.

44 Wrap it in a Bow (cont) The easiest way to do this is to use a consistent scenario throughout the training. Building upon this scenario throughout the training will provide a sense of continuity and provide a method to relate new topics in the training with previous topics.

45 Wrap it in a Bow (cont) For example: If, in your supervisory training program, you include a topic on performance of duty you can use a consistent scenario with one employee and change certain facts within the scenario to demonstrate different facets of performance of duty. This approach can be taken with any number of topics.

46 Finally What is the bottom line you should take away from this portion of the training? Knowing your audience will help you determine WHAT to include in your training Avoiding the deer in the headlights will determine how much detail to include for the topic you present

47 Finally (cont) Answering the question What s in it for me will help present the training in a way that will be valuable to your audience Finally, wrapping it in a bow will help your audience make connections between the topics presented in the training.

48 Yvette Talley Federal Workers Compensation Specialist Robley Rex VAMC Louisville, KY Mark Baumann Federal Workers Compensation Specialist James H. Quillen VAMC Mountain Home, TN , ext 7168 Chris Inserra Defense Civilian Personnel Advisory Service Injury and Unemployment Compensation Branch