"How to Get-Even with Insurance Companies"

Insurance Companies like individuals have all types of different characteristics, attitudes, beliefs and some are just difficult to work with. However, the only reason you take out insurance coverage is to protect your financial well being. You need to have some comfort in the fact that when you have a loss, most if not all of it will be taken care of by your insurance carrier. Meaning you will get to replace the loss with cash to buy another, whatever, ie; car, boat, motorcycle, home or (whatever). Anyway, sometime you might encounter an individual that has an attitude which may hamper the recovery of your loss. This has happened many times. The solution is to try and negotiate with the adjuster to a satisfactory settlement. If that doesn't work, you might enlist the help of your agent. He/she should be able to go to the insurance carriers' claims manager and work out a settlement. Let's suppose that doesn't work and everything is heading south on you. Before hiring that attorney, submit a complaint to the insurance department. I've attached an Oklahoma Complaint form. This is a non-litigious way of seeing if the insurance carrier truly is putting smoke and mirrors up to not pay your claim. You fill out the form telling the insurance department your side of the story. They send your version to the insurance carrier that has to respond in so many days as to their side of the story. You get a copy of their response. If you're still in disagreement, you write another letter to the insurance department. This time they may or may not have a sit-down session with you and the insurance carrier. If the department agrees with your position, 9 times out of 10 a settlement will be forth coming. However, if they don't, then belly up to the bar and hire your own gunslinger (attorney) and duke it out. A non-interested 3rd. party legal eagle will decide, the JUDGE! Rest assured, this happens a lot but mostly insurance companies would rather settle than pursue the gunslinger mentality. This is the method I would suggest to "Get Even with YOUR insurance carrier". (http://www.oaktreeagency.com/Forms/RequestForAssistance.pdf)http://www.oaktreeagency.com

"How To Be a WorkComp Guru Part III"

Isn't it interesting that the most important element of a workers compensation program is the employee which is at the heart of this blog and the least to which consideration is given. Everything works fine until the employee complains of a physical problem. One which he discovered while working. Most employees never ever venture into the real participation of a workers compensation claim. However, those that do are really two diverse personalities of claimants. Those that are really injured and those that are chronic manipulators of the workcomp system. You see, workers compensation is a strict liability statute. Meaning, if you're hurt or discover that you're hurt while on the job, the employer pays, regardless. Knowing this, it would seem that employers would take the time to check out their new hires a little better than they're doing. Why, you ask? It's simple, the insurance companies are going to surcharge you if they pay out more than they take in (premiums). You the employer are always going to foot the bill, no matter what they charge you. Well, that is unless you decide to go out of business. Not a good alternative to developing a branding quality to your identity as a business. This situation can be drasticlly reduced. You the employer need to check the workcomp background of your employees, especially new hires. You simply have an area on the employment application where they sign acknowledging their acceptance of letting the employer run background checks. This service normally runs between $10 and $50 depending on how in depth of a check you want. To see and know more about workcomp go to:http://www.oaktreeagency.com/Work_comp.html