Not to Be Denied (in Denying Inappropriate Claims)

While Kelly Services Inc. is adamant about taking care of employees hurt on the job, it won't hesitate to redirect non-occupational injury and illness claims to private providers.

And it's no secret that in the temporary-staffing space, where group health benefits are not widely available, many look to use Workers' Comp claims to address pre-existing health issues.

In fact, Kelly says some Workers' Comp experts suggest a 20-percent denial rate in the temporary-staffing arena might be a benchmark to shoot for—and “unless and until one begins seeing an increase in appeals or litigation related to compensability, money may be leaking out of [an] organization,” it notes in its award submission.

While it's not at that 20-percent mark yet, Kelly is ahead of the curve: “Our [third-party administrator] tells us its book of business has a claim-denial rate of less than 9 percent,” the company says. “Kelly's denial rate has been steadily trending upward to around 15 percent.”