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Risk manager outlines liability and workers' comp reporting; committee asks for clearer totals and preventability data
Summary
Kane County risk manager David Larson reported 19 claims to the county's claims broker and 16 internal claims not included in the auto-generated graphic, and said staff will begin tagging incidents by preventability; committee members pressed for consolidated totals and department-level context.
KANE COUNTY, Ill. ' David Larson, the county's risk manager, told the Human Services Committee on May 14 that the packet shows claims entered with the county's claims broker, CCMSI, and that the committee should expect additional reporting that combines external and internal claims and identifies preventability.
Larson said the chart in the materials shows 19 claims reported to CCMSI and that there are another 16 internal claims not reflected in that graphic, producing a combined total of 37 liability claims. He said staff have completed internal guidance to mark claims as preventable or not preventable and that, so far this calendar year, eight claims have been marked preventable.
Committee members asked for clearer presentation. Chair Cliff Allen asked staff to show both inside and outside totals on the same line and to include the amount paid and outstanding reserves so the committee can see the complete fiscal picture rather than a single-month snapshot. Larson agreed to refine the report.
Members also discussed which departments generate the claims. Larson said seven of the preventable claims were from the sheriff's office and one from animal control; he described typical causation categories as motor vehicle accidents, slip/trip/fall, resisting arrest and combative encounters. Committee members noted that the nature of certain elected offices, such as sheriff and coroner operations, make some categories of claims more frequent and that investments in equipment and prevention may reduce risk over time.
Larson told the committee he will begin reporting preventability and that he has prepared criteria for judging whether incidents are preventable. He said internal totals and the combined amount paid and outstanding reserves are available elsewhere in the packet (page 37) and that staff will bring consolidated figures forward at future meetings.
Why it matters: committee members said loss frequency and severity affect county costs beyond the immediate claim payments, including lost work time and litigation exposure. The committee asked staff to continue improving reporting so decision makers can assess programmatic or capital investments that reduce preventable incidents.
