Self-Insured City's Cost-Control Campaign Saves Roughly $2M in Work Comp Costs

Wednesday, November 15, 2017 | 0

The city of Scranton, Pennsylvania, saved about $2 million in workers' compensation costs over the past two years by creating a light-duty policy in the Police Department and hiring someone to monitor workers' compensation claims, among other tactics, the Times-Tribune newspaper reported.

David Bulzoni

City Business Administrator David Bulzoni said that after Mayor Bill Courtright set a goal in 2015 to bring aboard a workers' compensation program manager to better control costs, the city has:

• Hired the manager, who monitors claims and manages the workers' compensation program. 
• Created a light-duty policy in the Police Department, with goals to replicate the policy in the Fire Department and Department of Public Works. 
• Increased the number of arbitration panels in the heart and lung claim category, which has reduced the length of claims.
• Created a safety committee. 

The amount the city has paid out in workers' compensation indemnity and medical benefits dropped from $2.3 million in 2015 to $1.5 million in 2016 to $228,500 so far this year, through September. 

The city of Scranton is self-insured.