WARNING – OMBUDS OFFICE NOW ASSISTING PROVIDERS IN BRINGING SI COMPLAINTS!
The BWC SI Department Interim Director, David Sievert, made a surprising announcement on 8-21-18 at a BWC SI Employer Workshop in Cincinnati:
Providers in WC claims will now be directed to the Ombuds Office for assistance in bringing SI Complaints directly against Self Insuring Employers. LL Patterson views this at best as “opening the door” to more SI Complaints, and at worst, injecting Ombuds representatives into the position of advising and assisting providers in adversarial proceedings against SI employers.
The BWC describes the Ombuds Office as a problem solving service for employers, injured workers, and their respective representatives. The Ombuds Office is “independent of the BWC and the Industrial Commission of Ohio, which answers complaints and general inquiries about Ohio’s workers’ compensation system.”
Please contact our office if you have any questions about or need assistance with SI Complaints.