GQ Corner
Q. We received a mileage request from a claimant recently. Some of the dates of the request go back as far as 2010. How far back can their requests go to be reimbursable under the workers’ comp claim file?
A. Rule 134.110 (b) states the injured employee shall submit the request for reimbursement to the insurance carrier within one year of the date the injured employee incurred the expenses.
Q. We had a death claim of 3-26-2020 that we began paying on 3-27-2020 to present. The wage statement was submitted by the client to indicate non-pecuniary wages would continue being paid. However, that cannot be correct since the employee died on the DOI. We caught our error today in that we did not add in non-pecuniary wages to the wage statement AWW calculations, because the wage statement was completed incorrectly to indicate the employer would continue to provide. Do we have to add in those wages on the non- pecuniary info of the wage statement and add into the average weekly wage; therefore, increasing the AWW and making his DIBs at 75% higher comp rate? Additionally, paying the deficit due would mean we also owe interest, correct?
A. You do owe increased death benefits as well as interest. I suggest you calculate the deficit and make that payment to the beneficiary as soon as possible. In addition, I recommend you self-report the error to the Division. This error is very likely to be discovered in an IBA Audit. Self-reporting the error will help mitigate any fine DWC may issue.
FOLIO
