It's all but impossible of late to tune into any news broadcast that isn't dominated with stories documenting the grim state of the U.S. economy. Those of us who investigate workers' compensation claims in the field became aware of this phenomenon some time ago, based on signs that have been in clear evidence for well over two years. The looming recession was especially apparent in both the construction and hospitality industries.

The measuring stick, for our purposes, has been group layoffs and the escalation of post-termination claim filings that currently dominate the claim industry. Now that the downturn in the economy appears to have reached a state of critical mass, it is clear that the time has come for both carriers and self-insured entities to adopt specialized means by which to investigate these claims and address this crisis head-on. The following strategies will ensure the control of company loss ratios and will also aid in curtailing the associated ripple effects that often accompany post-termination claim filings during recessions.

Isolate Suspected Post-Termination Claims