The University of South Florida provides a safe and healthy work environment. USF’s Workers’ Compensation program is intended to provide medical treatment, disability leave and supplemental wages, as necessary, to eligible employees in the event they experience a work-related injury or illness. Eligible employees include Faculty, Administration, Staff, Federal Work Study student employees and Temporary (formerly OPS) employees, as well as volunteers, who sustain a work-related injury or illness. USF is committed to returning employees to work, either on light or regular duty as appropriate, following a work-related injury or illness once a physician has released them to return to work.
The program is administered by the Florida Department of Financial Services with the Division of Risk Management acting as the carrier. At USF the program is overseen by the Division of Human Resources’ Workers’ Compensation Insurance Specialist. Effective January 1, 2014, injury or illness reporting and medical case management services are provided to injured or ill employees and their supervisors by Amerisys in partnership with the Division of Risk Management.
Requirement for an ill or injured employee:
An employee who becomes ill or is injured as the result of a work-related incident must report the incident to the supervisor immediately. The university wants the employee to receive proper care and treatment to minimize the seriousness of any injury or illness. Report any on-the-job injury to the supervisor, no matter how minor the injury may appear to be.
Requirements for the supervisor of an ill or injured employee:
When an employee reports a work-related injury or illness, take prompt action to:
- Ensure the employee receives necessary medical attention. In case of emergency, call 911 or immediately send the employee to a hospital emergency room.
- With the injured or ill employee, immediately call Amerisys at 1-800-455-2079 to report the work-related injury or illness so the employee can receive appropriate care. In case of emergency, call Amerisys as soon as practicable.
- Complete the Accident Investigation Report for Supervisors and forward to Human Resources within 24 hours.
- The Laboratory/Studio and Field Incident Report form is to be completed by the Lab Manager/Teaching Assistant/Instructor for any incident that occurs in any University of South Florida affiliated teaching or research laboratory/studio or field research project. An incident means any unplanned event within the scope of a procedure that causes, or has the potential to cause, an injury or illness and/or damage to equipment, buildings, or the natural environment. Please fill out the online Laboratory/Studio and Field Incident Report form and submit to Environmental Health & Safety within 24 hours of the incident.
- Take action to correct any safety hazards to prevent the same or similar injury or illness from occurring again.
For questions on how to report a work-related injury or illness or other workers’ compensation issues, refer to the links below or contact the USF Workers’ Compensation Administration, Meica Elridge (813)974-5775. Reports may be faxed to (813) 974-7535. Refer to FIND IT for links to USF Regulations and USF System Policies on this topic.
How to Report a Work-Related Injury or Illness
Workers’ Compensation Location Codes
Frequently Asked Questions about Workers’ Compensation
Supervisor’s Accident Investigation Report Form
Procedures for Filing a Jones Act Claim
Workers’ Compensation Return To Work Policy and Procedures
More information found at: http://usfweb2.usf.edu/human-resources/employee-relations/workers-comp.asp