How an Injury Report
Can Help
Sunday preaching isn’t the only thing in a pastor’s job description—and leading a ministry can include a diverse set of responsibilities. For one pastor, the role included playing softball with a youth ministry group. When he headed to the field on a Tuesday evening to pitch in a game, he wasn’t expecting his day to end with a trip to the hospital. As the pastor stepped backward to catch a ball, he felt a sudden pain and heard a snap in his lower right leg. An MRI in the emergency room confirmed a ruptured Achilles tendon. Amid the chaos, one of the youth leaders at the game contacted a church staff member so the injury could be reported immediately.
Within weeks, medical bills started rolling in. The pastor needed surgery, physical therapy, treatment for a subsequent infection, a secondary surgery, and more. Because of the timely reporting, workers’ compensation coverage provided seamless financial support, relieving the church and the pastor of potentially overwhelming debt. Even as the costs continued to rise, the pastor was able to focus on recovery—without being distracted by incoming bills and administrative tasks that could have resulted from a delayed report.
“When someone is injured on the job—no matter how serious the injury seems—it’s important to create an injury report and notify your insurance carrier at the beginning,” said Mandy Muncie, RN, a manager of workers’ compensation claims at Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company. “The earlier something is reported, the more continuity it can bring to a claim. If your insurer can be on top of a claim from the beginning, it creates better communication between the insured ministry, the injured worker, and the insurance carrier.”
A timely injury report does four things: it fulfills state-mandated reporting laws, shows you are proactive in taking care of your employees, captures the scene,
and helps streamline communication with your insurance provider.
“Workers’ compensation can be confusing—which is why we don’t expect ministries to be experts,” said Muncie. “The most important thing is to report injuries as soon as they occur. Your insurance provider will take care of everything else by connecting you with a claims adjuster, managing the claim, and answering all your questions to make sure your people get the care they need.”
Reporting is Caring
Every state has its own mandated requirements for reporting workplace injuries. Delayed reports can lead to fines and penalties for insurers—but they can also cause more stress for ministries and their employees. When a workers’ compensation claim isn’t reported immediately, the insurance carrier must backtrack to understand what happened. This can lead to long hours searching through records or confusion with billing. Ultimately, if a report hasn’t been completed, employees could find themselves receiving medical bills they aren’t supposed to pay, which can leave them feeling overwhelmed with the responsibility of managing all the moving parts.
If your insurer can be on top of a claim from the beginning, it creates better communication between the insured ministry, the injured worker, and the insurance carrier.
“An on-the-job injury can be one of the worst days of someone’s life,” said Muncie. “They’re in pain; they’re shocked; they have a lot of questions—a lot of things are outside of their control. Connecting with an insurance provider quickly can ease some of those burdens by letting them know there is someone who can answer their questions, handle all the paperwork, and just advocate for them.”
On the other hand, if a ministry delays reporting by waiting to contact their insurance provider, it can cause more frustration for the injured worker. “People who have been hurt on the job might not have any idea what is covered when they go in to receive care,” Muncie explained. “If billing specialists don’t know an injury falls under workers’ compensation, the injured employee might receive statements not just from the hospital where they received care, but also ambulance services, imaging centers, skilled rehab, and more. All of that billing might be incorrect and lead to unnecessary stress on ministry employees. That stress can wreak havoc on the body and affect their ability to focus on their recovery.”
Risk Management Tips: Reducing the Likelihood of Workplace Injuries
While some workplace injuries happen as a result of unpredictable accidents, Muncie offered several risk management tips to help ministries reduce the chances
of some common workplace injuries.
Slips and Falls
Be on the lookout for common trip hazards that could spell disaster, such as rugs, cords, steps, uneven floors, and more. “Loose rugs are a huge liability,” said Muncie. “If you have a rug that isn’t flush to the floor, it’s easy to trip—and that can result in serious injuries, especially for older employees.”
Additionally, consider encouraging employees to be mindful of the shoes and clothes they wear to work. Shoes like flip flops or loose sandals are notorious for having bad traction on slippery surfaces. Sometimes a pair of quality shoes can be enough to save someone from slipping. It can also be common for women in
skirts to catch their hem while they’re walking or going upstairs—so taking extra caution is important.
Parking Lot Perils
If your ministry has a daycare or school, drop-off and pick-up times are prime for injuries. Ensure that anyone on parking lot duty wears a high-visibility vest to reduce the likelihood of parking lot injuries. Create a process for safely unloading and loading kids from vehicles, which can limit the chances of a staff member getting a misplaced foot run over.
Maintenance Mishaps
Employees who manage your facility and grounds may be more prone to injuries related to overexerting themselves. Muncie recommended having a rotation of responsibilities for various facilities workers so that no one is working too hard on one thing.
If you have questions about how to ensure your ministry can best care for your employees in the event of an injury, reach out to your insurance agent to learn about workers’ compensation coverage that fits your needs.*
*Brotherhood Mutual workers’ compensation coverage is not available in all states.
