Workers' Compensation

Under the Virginia Workers' Compensation Act and the Virginia Personnel Act, VCU is required to provide benefits to its employees who incur an injury or illness arising out of and in the course of official work-related duties. VCU HR provides information to employees and supervisors to assist them in understanding how to prevent workplace injuries and how to process workers' compensation claims.

All claims for workers' compensation are reviewed by the Virginia Division of Risk Management's third-party administrator, Managed Care Innovations, to determine if they are covered under the provisions of the Virginia Workers' Compensation Act.

Although an employee may have been injured at work, a claim can be considered compensable under workers' compensation laws in Virginia only if the injury occurred "by accident" and "was arising out of and in the course of employment." The injury or illness also must have happened suddenly and at a specific time. Injuries caused by misconduct, horseplay, failure to use safety equipment, repetitive motion or stress are generally not covered.

IMPORTANT: Injuries that result in hospitalization, amputation, loss of eyesight, or death must be reported immediately to Safety and Risk Management.

The following forms may be used to report an illness or injury for workers’ compensation.

Initiating a claim

Report injury/illness to supervisor immediately.
Seek immediate medical treatment, if an emergency.
Complete Accident Report Form and give to supervisor to complete as soon as possible
Complete Physician Selection Form (Word version or DocuSign version) and seek medical treatment from a selected panel physician – not your primary care physician (PCP). If you choose Concentra Telemed as your provider, see Employee Instructions for Concentra Telemed (PDF).
Forward completed forms to VCU Employee Health Services within 24 hours of the accident.
Follow department call-in procedures.
Keep your supervisor informed of absences, work restrictions, or job modifications.
Follow-up with the panel physician as needed.
VSDP Participants: Contact VCU HR Leave Administration at leave@vcu.edu or 828-1712, and Alight (third-party administrator) at 1-888-827-3847, after 7 calendar days of disability.

While your claim is open

Communicate work restrictions and medical progress with VCU Workers’ Compensation Office.
Keep follow-up appointments with the panel physician.
Accept recommended treatment by the panel physician.
Inform supervisor of absences and work restrictions.
Review and sign WC agreement forms.
Forward medical bills to your Benefit Coordinator at MCI for payment. Do not send medical bills to VCU HR.
Keep records of your medical and physical therapy appointments. Request lost time payments from MCI via your Benefit Coordinator and provide VCU Workers’ Compensation Office with records of absences related to your claim.
Complete blue benefits claim form provided by Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission.
Comply with work restrictions recommended by the panel physician.
Accept modified duty or transitional employment offered.
Submit completed FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) documents to your supervisor – if your injury has resulted in a “serious health condition” or you have missed more than 3 days from work.

IMPORTANT: Injuries that result in hospitalization, amputation, loss of eyesight, or death must be reported immediately to Safety and Risk Management.

Helping an employee initiate a claim

Report unsafe work conditions or safety hazards to Safety and Risk Management.
Inform your employee to complete the VCU Accident Report and Physician Selection Forms immediately.
Complete in detail the supervisor's section of the Accident Report Form.
Forward both completed forms to VCU Employee Health Services within 24 hours of accident.

Investigating the accident

Investigate the accident promptly.
Contact Safety and Risk Management to assist in follow-up prevention efforts.
Determine ways to prevent future accidents.
Counsel the employee on proper safety standards.

While the claim is open

Communicate with the employee on his/her progress and work modifications.
Communicate with VCU Human Resources concerning employee's progress.
Provide employees with FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) documents to complete if injury or illness resulted in a "serious health condition" or he/she has missed more than 3 days from work.
Ensure that the employee follows work restrictions recommended by the panel physician.
Seek modified or transitional duty assignments if needed by the employee.

FAQ

Please see the Worker’s Compensation FAQs document for additional information.

ADA and FMLA

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) are federal laws that may also apply to employees who experience an occupational injury or disease.

Please review information relating to FMLA as this law requires supervisors to notify employees of their family and medical leave rights and responsibilities, including informing employees that they may use workers' compensation leave concurrently with FMLA leave.

Additional Resources

Contact Us

For questions about a workers’ compensation claim, contact VCU HR at workcomp@vcu.edu.
For questions about a claim determination, medical authorizations, or billing, contact Managed Care Innovations (MCI) at (804)-649-2288.
For medical issues or work restrictions, contact panel physician or Employee Health Services at (804)-828-0584.
For questions about leave, contact your department timekeeper or the VCU HR Leave Administration team at leave@vcu.edu or (804)-828-1712.