Workers' Compensation

 

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SUBJECT: WORKERS' COMPENSATION
APPLIES TO: FACULTY, STAFF, AND STUDENT EMPLOYEES
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2018
REVISED FROM: July 1, 1993

WORKERS' COMPENSATION

Each University employee is covered under Workers' Compensation for injuries or occupational illnesses incurred while engaged in regularly assigned duties and University business away from his/her regular place of work. The University is mandated by the state of Kentucky to provide insurance coverage. Claims are processed in accordance with the Kentucky Workers' Compensation Statutes.

1. Accident Reporting Requirements

An employee must report all injuries to his/her supervisor immediately to assure proper handling of claims. Failure to report an injury immediately may result in loss of benefits.
All injuries must be reported regardless of seriousness. A supervisor must complete an Initial Report of Accident promptly and forward through his/her department to Human Resources.
In case of emergency, the employee may go to a hospital emergency room, or any private physician for treatment.
2. Statutory Benefits Under the Law

a.     Payment of medical and hospital care costs, compensation for permanent disability, compensation for lost time, and compensation in the event of death.

b.     Compensation for lost time begins on the eighth calendar day of disability; however, if disability continues for more than fourteen calendar days, compensation for the first seven days is payable.

3. Additional Benefits Provided by the University

The following benefits are provided by the University in addition to those required by law:
 a. During the first seven days of disability, the employee will use his/her accumulated sick leave and/or vacation to assure continuation of salary.
b. If disability continues beyond fourteen days, the employee will use a portion of his/her accumulated sick leave and/or vacation to assure continuation of his/her regular salary. In such cases, absences will be charged against sick leave and/or vacation in a proportionate amount of pay received from the University. The employee will turn the worker's compensation check over to the University, and the University will in turn issue a full paycheck. This will assure credit in the retirement systems for the employee until he/she is placed on a leave without pay or returns to work.
c. An employee with at least one year of service time who is unable to return to work when all of his/her accumulated sick leave and vacation has been used will be placed on leave without pay for one year. After a faculty or staff member exhausts his/her accumulated vacation and sick leave, the University will continue to cover his/her basic life and health insurance benefits for a maximum period of three (3) months with the employee required to pay his or her share of the premium. After that time, the employee may continue health and life insurance at his/her own expense. Information is available in Human Resources. If the employee decides not to be covered, drops coverage, or the coverage is terminated due to failure to make payment by the required date, the group insurance cannot be reinstated until the employee returns to a paid position within the University. (See Sick Leave)
d. An employee who is unable to return to work at the end of the leave without pay may be terminated. He/she will be able to continue medical coverage at his/her own expense through COBRA (Consolidate Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act) group medical plan. Information is available in Human Resources. Tenured faculty refer to Faculty Handbook.
e. Sick leave and vacation leave will only accumulate if the employee returns to work following the injury.