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Risk management reports steady open claims, a reopened 2022 case and plans to correct reporting errors
Summary
Risk management presented injury and liability claim metrics: eight open workers’ compensation claims (including a reopened 2022 case under independent medical evaluation), three claims closed in January, and a report error the department will correct and reissue.
Shelley Pierce, Cowlitz County risk manager, updated commissioners on Feb. 3 about workers’ compensation and liability claims, saying the county had eight open workers'‑comp claims and had closed three claims in January.
The risk manager said one claim opened in 2022 had been reopened and that the county is arranging an independent medical evaluation to confirm next steps. "Reopen claims from last year are are actually they're pretty rare," Pierce said, later noting the reopened file is being reviewed with an independent medical evaluation.
Why this matters: Open claims and their projected costs affect the county’s risk pool payments and reserves. Pierce told the board the reopened 2022 claim has already incurred prior payments and may require additional surgery-related costs.
The update included a correction. Pierce acknowledged a mistake in the claims report's outstanding totals and said staff would provide corrected numbers: "I will have to get back to you on that 1 and get you some updated numbers. Yeah. This is wrong. Apologies." She said the department would reissue corrected figures.
Department staff also reported a decline in average days claims remain open, which they attributed in part to improved processes and closer monthly reviews with the county’s third‑party claims vendor. Pierce said the county now averages about 112 days per open claim for the reporting period presented and credited regular, monthly claim reviews with the vendor for helping speed closures.
Risk management described steps to keep claims moving, including monthly meetings with the claims representative and maintaining close communication to obtain paperwork and independent medical reports more quickly. Pierce and other staff said they would continue work to validate numbers and reissue corrected totals to the board.
Ending: Commissioners heard the update, asked follow-up questions about trends and vendor performance, and were told corrected claim totals would be provided to the board. No policy actions were taken at the meeting.
