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Workers’ Compensation and Employee Injury

The University of North Texas Health Science Center (HSC) provides workers’ compensation insurance for all faculty, staff, and paid student employees, under the provision of the Workers’ Compensation Act for Texas State employees. Workers’ compensation provides benefits to eligible employees who sustain an injury while within the course and scope of their job duties.

If you are injured on the job and need medical treatment, you must be seen by a workers’ comp in-network provider. If treatment is received by an out-of-network primary care physician, this will be at the expense of the injured employee and will not be covered by workers’ compensation.

  • For a life-threatening emergency, call 9-1-1 or seek medical treatment at the nearest Emergency Room.
  • For non-emergency injuries, contact Risk Management Services for assistance in obtaining authorization for medical care.
  • If you are unable to speak with a person in Risk Management Services during regular business hours, treatment should be obtained at NOVA Medical Center or the closest CareNow facility.  Please note that Web Check-In is not available for initial visits related to workers’ comp.
  • An injured employee is not required to seek medical treatment if they do not wish to do so.  If medical treatment is declined by the employee or not required, the supervisor must complete the Employee Injury Report, found on the Forms page under the “Insurance and Claims” heading. If the employee determines they need medical treatment at a later date, contact our office for authorization of treatment.

In all situations where an employee receives medical treatment, both the Employee Injury Report and the Workers Comp Supervisor packet must be completed and sent to our office for filing the claim with the State Office of Risk Management.  Find these forms on the Forms page under the Insurance and Claims section.

 

Additional guidance for employees and supervisors

General Guidance

When an employee is injured in the course and scope of their work, their health and safety is our primary concern.  Our response is dictated by the severity of the injury.  Our staff can be contacted by phone at (940) 565-2109; fax (940) 565-4919; or email rms@unt.edu.

Employees are required to notify their supervisors of any incidents or injuries they experience.  The supervisor is then empowered to take appropriate steps, based on their initial evaluation of the situation.  Although preferred, it is not always necessary or practical, to contact RMS before seeking treatment for the injured employee.

For severe or life threatening injuries – Call 911 if emergency help is needed.   Employees in Fort Worth should be transported to either Texas Health Harris Methodist ER, Medical City Fort Worth ER, or Baylor Scott & White All Saints, depending on their preference.  Upon arrival, the medical provider should be alerted that this is a work-related injury.  The supervisor and employee should complete the Employee Injury and Supervisor Workers Comp packets (Found on the Forms page) and return them to us within one business day of the injury.  We will confirm receipt of the information and follow up for any additional information needed.

For less severe or non-life threatening injuries – If no medical treatment is required, an Employee Injury Report (Found on the Forms page) can be filled out. Supervisors should attempt to contact our office prior to directing the employee for medical care. Employees can be seen at either Nova Medical Center or a local CareNow Facility.  Refer to the links below for locations and contact information. Upon arrival, the medical provider should be alerted that this is a work-related injury.

  • For injuries treated at Nova Medical Center or CareNow, the facility will call our office for authorization, unless authorization was given beforehand by Risk Management Services.
  • For injuries that occur outside of university business hours (M-F, before 8 am or after 5 pm), supervisors should contact the third party clinics directly and authorize treatment for the injured employee.  The supervisor will be asked to provide the injured employees full name, date of birth, last four digits of their social security number and the supervisor’s name and title.

Non-emergency medical office locations:

UNT Risk Management will function as the primary coordinator for paperwork and information for ongoing claims. However, there might be certain questions that must be directed towards the State Office of Risk Management (SORM), CareWorks (TX HCN), or the healthcare provider’s office

Click this link to visit the SORM website, which gives instructions about accessing CareWorks.

Click this link to visit CareWorks and follow these instructions:

  • Click on “Find A Provider” – top Right corner of home page.
  •  Choose Careworks TX HCN from menu of plans/networks.
  • Choose tab “Address Search” (there enter TX for state and the zip)
  •  Then choose distance in miles 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, etc.
  • For Provider Type, choose “Treating Providers” then click on Find Providers button at the bottom.

Additional Notes for Supervisors

An injured employee is not required to seek medical treatment if they do not wish to do so.  The supervisor must complete the Employee Injury Report . If the employee determines they need medical treatment at a later date, contact RMS for authorization of treatment.

Claim Management

If an employee is on restricted/modified duties and/or schedule because of the injury, a supervisor must fill out a Bona Fide Offer of Employment that is in accord with the employees Work Status Report (DWC73) that they get from their doctor’s visits. This functions essentially as a temporary job offer that is in line with the restrictions caused by the work injury. These can be filled out with assistance from a HR business partner, if necessary.

UNT Risk Management will function as the primary coordinator for paperwork and information for ongoing claims. However, there might be certain questions that must be directed towards the State Office of Risk Management (SORM), CareWorks (TX HCN), or the healthcare provider’s office.

This page was last modified on August 26, 2024