Nanny Injured on the Job – Now What?

Was your nanny injured on the job? Having workers’ compensation insurance is of utmost importance in this situation. Workers’ compensation policies cover a household employer’s nanny or other employee in case he or she is injured while working in your home. Your workers’ compensation policy contains a posting notice providing the insurance company name, policy number, and contact information.

Should an injury or illness occur, here are the steps to take:

1. Contact your workers’ compensation carrier if there is an on the job injury or illness as a result of the employment.  The seriousness of the injury does not necessarily matter.  If the employee requires medical care or will be missing work due to the injury or work related illness, the employer should report the incident. Sometimes nothing further comes of the incident except a medical bill. However, there may be complications unknown at the time of the initial incident and reporting the claim can help to keep future bills in check.
2. Be prepared to provide the claim adjuster with some pertinent information:

• Date of incident
• Name of employee
• Brief description of the injury and how it happened
• Your workers’ compensation policy number
• Phone number or email address on how the adjuster can contact the employee

3. The adjuster will contact the employee directly for further details.
4. A form will be sent to the employee to complete.  There will be a section for the employer to fill in their information and employment information, a section for the employee, and a section for the doctor to complete.  The form is then returned to the insurance company.
5. The adjuster will continue to correspond with the employee and possibly the medical provider until the claim is complete.

While some states require household employers to have a workers’ compensation policy, GTM recommends having one in place to protect both you and your employee should an incident occur.

GTM’s insurance brokerage, GTM Employment Benefits LLC, provides workers’ compensation policies to our clients. Contact us at (888) 432-7972 for more information.