Injured at Work
Step 1: Report the Injury
Step 2: Obtain Medical Treatment
Step 3: Complete A Claim Form
Step 4: Provide Prompt And Complete Communication
Step 1: Report the Injury
Immediately tell your supervisor. You must report any injury to your supervisor within 24 hours, no matter how trivial the injury may seem. You will need to tell her/him when and where the injury occurred, what happened, and if anyone witnessed the injury.
If your injury or illness develops gradually (like tendinitis or hearing loss), report it as soon as you learn it was caused by your job. Reporting promptly helps prevent problems and delays in receiving benefits, including medical care you may need to avoid further injury.
Step 2: Obtain Medical Treatment
Life Threatening Emergency Situation: Call 9–1–1. Go to the nearest emergency room or medical facility equipped to handle emergencies.
Report the injury, within 8 hours, to Human Resources at 619–594–1051 or 619–594–4139, regardless of whether the accident occurs during normal working hours, after hours or over the weekend.
A medical emergency is generally defined as a sudden and unforeseeable injury or illness of such a nature that failure to get immediate medical care could be life threatening or include severe bleeding from any site, loss of consciousness, seizures, or severe or multiple injuries.
Non–emergency situations during working hours: Before seeking medical treatment for the employee, call SDSU Research Foundation Human Resources at 619–594–1051. Provide details of the injury and obtain authorization for treatment at an approved medical facility that specializes in the treatment of industrial accidents and injuries. The medical facility should send all medical bills and work status reports to SDSU Research Foundation's workers' compensation carrier, St Paul Travelers.
Supervisors should investigate the claim and be prepared to report when, where, and how the injury occurred. Also needed are witnesses to the incident and the employee's history of any prior injuries.
Non–emergency situations, after hours or on weekends: If medical attention is required, the employee should seek medical treatment at any San Diego County Sharp Rees-Stealy or U.S. HealthWorks Medical Clinics. See Authorized Medical Provider Network. For out of the San Diego County area injuries, call Travelers at 800–832–7839 for referral to an authorized facility or go to their website http://www.travelers.com.
The employee needs to mention that the injury is work related and that SDSU Research Foundation's workers' compensation carrier is Travelers. The medical facility should send all medical bills and reports to Travelers. Report the injury to Human Resources 619–594–1051 or 619–594–4139 as soon as possible.
Get Good Medical Care: Get Good Medical Care to help you recover. You should be treated by a doctor who understands your particular type of injury or illness. Tell the doctor about your symptoms and the events at work that you believe caused them. Also, describe your job and your work environment.
Step 3: Complete A Claim Form
Once an injury or illness has been reported, Human Resources will provide the employee with a simple claim form Workers' Compensation Claim Form (DWC 1) (PDF Format, 171 KB)* The form is used to request workers' compensation benefits. Employees should fill out and sign the employee portion of the claim form. Employees should describe their injury completely and include every part of their body affected by the injury.
The supervisor will be sent an Accident / Incident Report (Word Format, 404KB)* which should also be returned to Human Resources.
Return all completed claim forms to: SDSU Research Foundation Human Resources
5250 Campanile Drive
San Diego, CA 92182–1945
Mail Code: 1945
Fax: 619–594–2363
The workers' compensation carrier makes the final determination of whether the injury is work-related and what benefits the employee is entitled to. Occasionally, the workers' compensation carrier may need to investigate the facts surrounding the injury before benefits are paid.
Step 4: Provide Prompt And Complete Communication
Communicate Work Status To Your Employer. Provide copies of all doctors' status notes to SDSU Research Foundation Human Resources 5250 Campanile Drive, San Diego CA 92182–1945. Following treatment the medical facility should provide the employee with medical documentation including a diagnosis of the injury, plan of treatment (for example, physical therapy twice a week for 3 weeks) and work status (return to regular work, modified work or release from duty for a specified period of time). The work status information should be presented to the supervisor immediately following treatment. The supervisor should then call Human Resources 619–594-1051 with the work status and forward a clear copy of the work status documentation to Human Resources as soon as possible.
In the event the employee is released to modified duty, SDSU Research Foundation strongly urges supervisors to find modified work for the employee as an incentive for the employee to return more quickly to regular work. Job restrictions, as defined by treating physicians, should be strictly adhered to. Promptly inform SDSU Research Foundation Human Resources 619–594–1051 and your supervisor of any lost work time and modified work assigned by your physician. If the injury is determined to be work related and no modified work is available, the employee will be entitled to temporary disability benefits after 3 days. If the employee is hospitalized or unable to work for more than 14 days then the three-day waiting period will be waived. Past experience has shown that it is much more difficult to get an employee back to regular work once the employee has been off duty collecting temporary disability benefits rather than working modified duty all along.
If the injured employee does not return to work following the treatment, the employee needs to contact the supervisor by phone as soon as possible to discuss the doctor's recommendations. It is the employee's responsibility to get the work status documentation to the supervisor/Human Resources as soon as possible. This information should then be forwarded to SDSU Research Foundation, Human Resources, Mail Code 1945, 5250 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92182–1945. The supervisor should communicate weekly any lost or modified work time to SDSU Research Foundation Human Resources. The follow through of communicating any lost or modified work can directly effect any temporary disability benefit payments made by the workers' compensation carrier.
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