HOW DOES THE HOUSEHOLD INDUSTRIES SELF-INSURED GROUP DELIVER MORE VALUE TO RETAILERS THAN TRADITIONAL WORKERS’ COMPENSATION INSURANCE PROGRAMS?
Self Insured Groups are regulated alternatives to traditional insurance that are approved by the State of California to provide workers’ compensation benefits to member employers. A self insured group is a California Not-for-Profit Mutual Benefit Corporation run by a Board of Trustees.
Each self insured group is reviewed, approved and monitored by California’s Department of Industrial Relations, Office of Self Insurance Plans (OSIP). Just as each self insured group is reviewed and approved, each member of a self insured group is similarly reviewed to ensure that individual employers meet the requirements of membership. A self insured group is a “shared-risk” pool, with joint and several liability among members.
A Self Insured Group is made up of the following parts:
- Members who share a common industry
- A Board of Trustees
- An Administrator
- Third Party Claims Administrator (TPA)
- Safety and Loss Control services
- Independent Accountants and Actuaries
- Excess Insurance Carrier
A Self Insured Group is a group of employers in a common industry who have joined together to provide workers’ compensation benefits. The group is a California “Non-Profit Mutual Benefit Corporation” that only exists to benefit the members. Subsequently, the members own the self insured group.
The way it works is simple, yet effective. Group members make contributions to the self insured group, and the self insured group pays expenses and claims for injured workers.
HISIG Standards of Conduct for Members
The members of HISIG are part of a risk sharing program and there is a shared expectation of commitment to strong loss prevention and management. The HISIG Standards of Conduct document includes a commitment to transitional duty programs (return to work), strong employer-employee communication, accident investigation and an active Injury Illness Prevention Program.
Dedicated Claims Team
HISIG features a dedicated claims adjuster that only handles claims for our program. This ensures a very low file count allowing a greater focus on case management and claims closure. HISIG also features a Return-To-Work (RTW) program to transition injured employees back to work.
Stable Costs, Outstanding Service
HISIG seeks to control costs for retail employers as Workers’ Compensation costs again begin to escalate in California. Members get service and support on claims and safety they cannot get anywhere else – dedicated loss control, specialized training, immediate response on service requests, and a dedicated claims team. HISIG is designed to be a program that can last in the turbulent conditions of California Workers’ Compensation.
Household Industries Self-Insured Group (HISIG) is an elite collective of safety-driven employers who have pooled their resources to successfully self insure. HISIG started in 2005 to better serve the home improvement industries throughout the Golden State.
“Only the Best”
HISIG can choose to offer membership to only those employers who demonstrate a solid commitment to superior operations. This limits the group’s exposure to “bad risks.” This approach is vital because the better the results, the lower the cost for members.
Safety & Loss Control
A strong safety program is necessary for the success of HISIG. Working together to prevent injuries makes a huge difference in keeping workers’ comp claims down.
Program Control
There is no comparison to the kind of program control a group of employers have under self insurance versus a fully insured plan. In HISIG, the members have control of the program through the Board of Trustees.
Regulatory Oversight
California’s Department of Industrial Relations, Office of Self Insurance Plans oversees all self insured group programs and requires annual financial reviews.
Aggressive Claims Management
Claims management is crucial when creating a successful self insured group. Investigations of suspicious claims, Return-to-Work programs and strong case management are key components in keeping claims costs down.
Excess Insurance
HISIG purchases Excess Insurance from an admitted Excess Insurance carrier to protect the group from large losses. All claims that exceed the group’s self insured retention are paid by the Excess Insurance carrier. This helps limit the group’s exposure.
Injury claims must be handled promptly, professionally and aggressively. Aggressivve claims management starts the minute a claim occurs. It entails gathering information from supervisors and witnesses, verifying that the claim occurred legitimately and that the worker is due benefits. It also means working with the medical providers to ensure proper, complete and adequate care while avoiding over-treatment and unnecessary procedures.
All legitimately injured workers should get the benefits they deserve, and do so promptly and without hassles. On the other hand, all fraudulent claims should be investigated, shut down, and fraud perpetrators referred for prosecution. To do that, we will investigate any and all suspicious claims, perform clandestine surveillance on suspected fraud practitioners, and shut these claims down and seek reimbursement or even send those folks to jail whenever possible.
When an injury or incident occurs, please call the HISIG Hotline immediately
1-855-MY-HISIG
The Household Industries Self-Insured Group is a program designed for employers who are invested in preventing injuries in their workplace. Every member of the group shares in the risks and rewards of the program. Every member wants to know that their fellow members care about safety and are actively engaged in their safety program.
HISIG members do not engage in safety programs in order to avoid problems with Cal OSHA – they do it to keep employees safe and reduce claims costs.
Safety is about reducing risk in the workplace. It is more than safe conditions and practices – it is about the culture of a company, the most important aspect in reducing risk.
Barkley has partnered with HISIG to provide members with in-person training, site visits, additional online safety training and support available through the member portal. The HISIG safety program is designed to address the real world issues that members encounter.
The Barkley Loss Control Team helps build safety cultures that support the long-term health and profitability for HISIG Members.