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... with drugs and alcohol. Employers who hire recovering substance abusers receive tax incentives from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the federal government-and they get an opportunity to provide a second chance to someone who is willing to work. Montgomery knew that Beal offered potential employees a place to work, but more importantly, he knew Beal cared about people. Beal's caring approach is illustrated in the example of a former worker who had been with Rizzo's for 18 years before leaving for another job. When the worker, who had come to hold a principal position at Rizzo's, lost his new position, Beal soon suspected that an alcohol problem was the culprit. He took his former worker and friend to get counseling and eventually offered him a full-time job with a full benefits package if he would agree to enroll in a rehabilitation program at Miremount Center. The center provides an important link between Beal and employees undergoing rehabilitation for substance abuse problems. Not only did Beal offer the worker a full-time job, he also provided help to his family during this period. His intervention paid off. After only 28 days, the employee was back at work and has recovered his self esteem, his family and his future. Beal has proved the merit of what PECORA seeks to accomplish in the caring attitude he fosters in his own workplace. He currently has eight employees recovering from substance abuse problems working for him, one-half of whom hold key management positions in his company. People ask me why I hire known substance abusers, ' observes Beal, and my response is, Well, at least I know what I'm getting. When ...

... period is sick from the same illness six days one month, ten days the next month, and so on. If the client doesn't accumulate 90 days of disability within six months, the waiting period starts over. A 12-month period is clearly preferable for this client. Exclusions: Disability policies generally contain exclusions, although some policies only exclude war or an act of war. Among the other possible exclusions: self-inflicted injury, committing or attempting to commit a felony, normal pregnancy, drug abuse, and alcoholism. Premium waivers: The waiver of premium generally takes effect after 90 days, or the elimination period. This waiver will reimburse the premiums paid during that period. In addition, some insurance companies will continue to pay the agent renewal commissions while the client is collecting for the claim. Rehabilitation: A rehabilitation benefit allows the client a set amount toward an occupational rehabilitation program, along with the regular monthly benefits. The treatment of injuries feature allows the policyholder 25% to 50% of the monthly benefit for a nondisabling accidental injury. It can be used per occurrence, and it doesn't coordinate with current medical coverage. In addition, there's no cap on how many times it can be used. Options Disability policies offer a number of options, allowing the agent to tailor the policy to the client's specific needs. These options include: Residual benefit: Under the residual benefit, the policyholder can receive a portion of the benefits, even while working and under a doctor's care. The client must lose 20% to 25% of income to qualify for a partial benefit, and ...

... . 9. Medical Payments. Medical bills should be paid within 25 days of receipt to avoid duplicate payments, which often occur when bills enter the second billing cycle. Consistent delays also can jeopardize essential good relationships with medical providers. 10. Medical Management. Employers often can influence the choice of physicians, and thereby obtain better control of medical costs. The auditor should look for programs designed to accomplish this and should evaluate their effectiveness. 11. Denials. Premature denials force the claimant to go to an attorney, so careful investigation is needed to determine whether a claim will be denied or accepted. 12. Litigation. Effective workers' compensation programs aim at reducing and controlling the number of litigated cases. To control litigation costs, cases should not be abandoned to defense counsel. 13. Rehabilitation. Practical rehabilitation plans can reduce ultimate claim costs and return the employee to productive work. A light-work program for employees still under medical restrictions sometimes is an effective way to reduce temporary disability benefits. 14. Subrogation. When claims are caused by negligent third parties, subrogation should be investigated and pursued. Substantial portions of all costs of some claims can be recovered from third parties. 15. Reserves. Case reserves should be posted accurately and reviewed at regular intervals until the claim is closed. An experienced claim examiner should set case reserves based on his/her best estimate of the ultimate probable cost of each case. 16. Return to Work. When the treating or examining physician releases an employee to return to modified work, the employer should be contacted and provided with a description of ...

... close attention to this. It's particularly important to make sure that the indemnification provisions coincide with your E&O policy provisions. Also, how will defense costs be handled? Arbitration. Both the agency and the profit-sharing contracts should include binding arbitration clauses to resolve disputes without prolonged litigation. The arbitration must be "binding" rather than by "mutual consent," since the latter gives the company the opportunity to reject the decision. Termination. Does the contract spell out the grounds for termination, and are they reasonable? For example, will a bad loss ratio or the failure to meet volume commitments for just one year allow the company to pull out? How much advance warning must they give? Do the contract provisions coincide with state law? What kind of opportunities will there be for rehabilitation before the actual termination, and are these guarantees part of the contract or merely assurances made by the company personnel? Does the agent have the right to decide what happens with respect to policy renewals and notifications of insureds? Who will be servicing the business after termination, and will the agent get paid if state regulations require the continuation of policies through your cancelled agency? Other Things to Look For. Can the agency contract be assigned with the consent of the company? Why might they withhold that consent? What does the contract stipulate with respect to brokerage or "clustered" business? Does the company agree to keep information that it has on the agency's financial situation confidential? Is your binding authority clarified? How long do you have to get binders to the company? How much time ...

... light of its star spokespeople. You can create similar equations in the minds of prospects and clients by linking your agency's name to a good cause. Cause-related marketing is good citizenship and good business. Consumers are growing increasingly tired of hype and hard sell. We are all exposed to an enormous number of advertising messages every day. To keep our sanity, we have to tune out 99% of them. Most advertisements and direct mail tout a better price or superior service. Obviously, not everyone can have the best price or service, so consumers have learned to ignore these claims. A different, fresh approach has a better chance of catching your audience's attention. Attaching your agency or company to a good cause can do just that. This strategy can also begin to make a dent in rehabilitating our industry's battered image. Innovative marketers in other industries have used cause-related marketing successfully. Their stories provide some valuable lessons for insurance marketers. The Body Shop A cosmetic store that doesn't advertise or use fancy packaging sounds as if it would be doomed to failure. Yet The Body Shop, based in , is the world's hottest cosmetics chain. It doesn't spend a penny on advertising or pretty packages. The company sells natural soaps, scents, lotions, and shampoos in more than 300 stores around the world, including the . It sells its products largely by providing information to consumers. Every container explains the ingredients and their benefits. The Body Shop has established a fine reputation by supporting a number of social causes. Environmental protection is one, including a lobbying campaign to protect the Brazilian rain ...

... and specific employee needs. The program should help supervisors and managers use the system in a cost-effective manner. After the needs and problems have been identified, the next step is to locate the available counseling, treatment, and other resources. The program must develop mechanisms to provide specific forms of help, such as substance abuse recovery programs. Finally, effective EAPs continuously pursue methods of self-evaluation and improvement. Health Services Hospitals and clinics are competing to provide cost-effective services to employers. You may be able to arrange an economical program that will augment your workplace safety program and provide workers with benefits that reduce your costs and increase worker job satisfaction. Services that many local hospitals and clinics are offering to employers include: Treatment of work-related injuries First aid and CPR training Hearing testing Blood pressure screening Drug screening Rehabilitation Pre-placement screening Injury-prevention programs Case management Wellness program management Stress-reduction programs Physical examinations   Reprinted with permission from Safety Information Currents, Volume IV, Number 2. Login or Register (for FREE) to gain access to thousands of other great articles. Need more reasons to join? Need insurance for you, your business or your family? Get quality appointments - Save yourself a whole lot of time & money when you use our directory of carriers, wholesalers and service providers. Negotiate lucrative contracts with carriers and wholesalers. Net result. More revenue for your agency! Clients & Prospects will research you, your co-workers and your agency here. The most comprehensive online insurance industry reference library for - Personal Lines Professionals Commercial Lines Professionals Life/Health & Benefits Professionals Online newsletters and content that you ...

... had increased. He received an award of $140,000 in compensatory damages and $975,000 in punitive damages. In the St. Mary's Honor Center case, the judge believed that the plaintiff had been discriminated against, but that he had not shown it was because of his race rather than for personal reasons. In Harris v. Hughes Aircraft, on the other hand, the jury decided that the discrimination against the plaintiff was because of his race. The lesson for employers appears to be that reasons given for demoting or firing a minority or other protected employee should be substantial and legitimate, and that great care should be taken not to give an impression of discriminatory motives. Footnotes: 42 U.S.C. 1981 ff. 42 U.S.C. 2000e. 29 U.S.C. 621 ff. Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. 701 ff. 42 U.S.C. 12101 ff. Harris v. Forklift Systems, Inc. (1993) U.S., 126 L.Ed.2d 295, 114 S.Ct. 367. Labor Code 1102.1. Holloway v. Arthur Anderson & Co. (9th Cir. 1977) 566 F.2d 659. Title VII, 704(a ), 42 U.S.C. 2000e-3(a ) . For example, the Unruh Civil Rights Act, Calif. Civil Code 51 ff; the Fair Employment and Housing Act, Calif. Govt. Code 12900 ff. 29 U.S.C. 621 ff. Govt. Code 12920. Jennings v. Marralle (1994) 8 Cal.4th 121, 32 Cal.Rptr.2d 275, held that the FEHA applied to age discrimination for employers of five or ...

... Name] reserves the right to demand a drug or alcohol test of any employee based upon reasonable suspicion. Reasonable suspicion includes, but is not limited to, physical evidence of use, involvement in an accident, or a substantial drop off in work performance. Failure to take a requested test may lead to discipline, including possible termination. The company also cautions against use of prescribed or over-the-counter medication which can affect your work place performance. You may be suspended or discharged if the company concludes that you cannot perform your job properly or safely because of using over-the-counter or prescribed medication. Please inform your supervisor prior to working under the influence of a prescribed or over-the-counter medication which may affect your performance. [Company Name] will make every effort to assist its employees who wish to seek treatment or rehabilitation for drug or alcohol dependency. The company will consider continued employment of such an employee as long as the employee adequately addresses continued concerns regarding safety, health, production, communication or other work related matters. You may also be required to agree to random testing and a one-strike' rule. If you have a drug or alcohol problem, please ask for our help! ©1998 Phin Enterprises. Donald A. Phin, Esq., CPCM. No portion of these materials may be reproduced by any means without the express written permission of the author. Login or Register (for FREE) to gain access to thousands of other great articles. Need more reasons to join? Need insurance for you, your business or your family? Get quality appointments - Save yourself a whole ...

... short distance to an EAP. Once they learned how modest the costs were (approximately $900 a year), only two major hurdles remained: confidentiality and EAP coverage for a three-state operation. They found an external EAP firm that could provide services at the three worksites, help the company develop an alcohol and drug policy, and maintain strict confidentiality. Since the traumatic incident, nearly 40% of General Alum's employees have joined the EAP program. Approximately 17% use the program for substance abuse problems such as alcohol and street drugs, prescription drugs, and polydrugs. Regular articles on the EAP in the company's bimonthly newsletters can be partially credited with significantly increasing EAP participation by employee's family members. Also contributing to the high utilization of EAP services is the company's policy of sharing one-half of the rehabilitation costs not covered by employees' insurance. Although preemployment drug screening has at times revealed a failure rate as high as 20%, there has been no for cause testing needed, based upon job performance criteria. The support of top management is essential for maintaining a successful EAP program, and this is clearly evident at General Alum & Chemical Corporation. President and CEO James Poure, who has owned and operated the business for nearly 13 years, recently chaired the Toledo Area Chamber of Commerce and is launching a community-wide effort to promote a drug-free workplace policy. Poure is living proof that one can be a caring employer and a community activist. He was also named Entrepreneur of the Year by consensus among Inc. Magazine, Ernst & Young and Merrill Lynch. Login or Register (for FREE ...

... the economic models of various product lines. Many banks find that the acquisition of an independent agency specializing in Property/Casualty and Group Life and Health products is the most expensive and most visible part of their insurance distribution. Yet banks will employ different strategies for their own products, such as Life insurance, Long-term Care, annuities, and Credit insurance, all of which make significant contributions to overall earnings. Banks have often given too much pricing consideration to agencies that lack key core competencies, such as the sell culture, use of automation, or appropriate expertise to pursue existing bank customers. When financial results start to erode, the bank may come to the sad realization that the agency doesn't have the management capacity or know-how to develop the necessary skills. Bank management is then forced into a rehabilitation mode with the agency, a role for which it's usually ill-prepared. Well-managed agencies, however, often produce the opposite results. The best-run banks and agencies have found that opportunities they didn't even think of during pre-deal discussions begin to develop. Strong producers and managers create opportunities in any environment. Most industry experts would agree that in the realm of financial services, banks and insurance are more like first cousins than like siblings. Both parties can leverage opportunities for the other side, yet common ownership doesn't guarantee success. Bank officers are unwilling to expose some of their most significant and profitable banking relationships for the chance to earn a small referral fee on insurance activities. Conversely, many of the very best insurance accounts, such as contractors, trucking companies, and other higher-risk businesses, tend to ...