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Workers' Comp 101

Work Comp 101
What is workers’ compensation insurance?
Workers’ compensation insurance is federally mandated, state regulated insurance program that protects your business if an employee gets injured or becomes ill as a result of work-related activities. Workers’ compensation insurance is intended to help workers get back on their feet and back to work by providing benefits to employees such as paying medical bills, covering lost wages, rehabilitation, retraining, and more.
Why do those in agriculture need workers’ compensation insurance?
According to economic research provided by the St. Louis Fed, around 2.5 million full time workers are employed each year in agriculture and related industries.  The agriculture and farming industry is one of the nation’s most hazardous work environments, every day around 100 workers suffer a lost time accident (First Benefits Insurance Mututal).  There are many injuries or illnesses that are unique to the work performed in the agriculture industry, some of these include tractor rollovers, harvester incidents, heat exhaustion, falls, grain bin or silo injuries, animal related injuries, and many more. Because of the nature of these injuries, the role of workers’ compensation insurance can be complex but is vital to this industry.  That’s why, providing workers’ compensation insurance through an ag focused company like Agri-Services Agency ensures you and your employees are covered correctly.
It is important to remember, even if your state does not require that you carry workers compensation insurance, you are still required to cover expenses if an employee sustains a work-related injury.  Carrying workers’ compensation insurance protects your company from the potentially overwhelming costs associated with work related accidents or an employee filed lawsuit.  Even if you are not required to carry workers’ compensation insurance by state law, it is a smart business decision.
How can Agri-Services Agency help?
There are several ways that ASA can help you manage your workers’ compensation insurance needs and requirements.
  • Ag-focused – Agri-Services Agency is cooperative driven and focuses solely on the agriculture industry.  We are committed to supporting the values of the farms and businesses we insure.  Because we are focused on agriculture, we understand the risks involved with your business and can make sure you are covered correctly at a competitive price.
  • Risk Analysis and Loss Control – Our OSHA certified loss control team will visit your farm to identify hazards, review procedures, offer corrective actions and help implement effective controls to minimize the risk of injury to your employees.  In many cases, businesses pay third parties for this service, for our customers, this service is free.
  • Safety Training – ASA also offers a safety training program to help develop a strong culture of on-farm safety.  This program is in its early stages, but already our customers are reporting improvements in employee safety and worker retention and increases in efficiency and productivity.  This program is also free to our customers.
  • Claims Management – The goal of our claims management approach is to keep the overall cost of your claim down and resolve cases quickly.  We work with third-party administrators but manage all aspects of the claims process to ensure your needs are met in a timely manner.  Additionally, we provide a medical bill review, ensuring that you are not double billed, procedures are coded correctly, etc.
  • Regulatory Compliance Assistance – Because we are experts in workers’ compensation and focus on agriculture, we stay on top of regulations that may affect you.  In doing so, we ensure that you remain compliant and protected.
  • Customer Service – If you have questions or need to talk to us, we offer 24/7 customer service. When you call our Customer Service Center, you will get an actual person not an automated service.
Our experience and focus on your industry allows Agri-Services Agency to provide you with convenient and efficient onboarding, renewal and claims processes.  After working with ASA to manage your workers’ compensation needs, you will have the peace of mind you deserve.
This article is for general information, workers compensation laws vary by state and can depend on the type of business and employees you have.  For more information on workers’ compensation insurance, please don’t hesitate to contact our customer service center any time at 877-466-9809.