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Policy and Procedure Name:
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Change of Address or Change of Name for the Injured
Worker
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Policy #:
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CP-03-11
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Code/Rule Reference:
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None
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Effective Date:
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06/01/22
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Approved:
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Ann Shannon, Chief of Claims Policy and Support
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Origin:
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Claims Policy
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Supersedes:
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Policy# CP-03-11, effective 05/06/19
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History:
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Previous versions of this policy are available upon
request
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Table of Contents
I. POLICY PURPOSE
II. APPLICABILITY
III. DEFINITIONS
Social Security Cross Match
IV. POLICY
A. Requests for IW Address
and Name Changes
B. Verification of IW’s
Identity
V. PROCEDURE
A. Standard Claim File
Documentation
B. Verifying the IW’s
Identity
C. Processing IW Address
and Name Changes
This purpose of this policy is to ensure that BWC
efficiently processes an injured worker’s (IW) request to change an address or
a name. This policy and procedure should not be interpreted as prohibiting BWC
staff from referring to an IW by their preferred name or pronouns.
This policy and procedure applies to all BWC staff involved
in the processing of IW address and name changes.
Social
Security Cross Match: The electronic receipt of information from the Social
Security Administration (SSA) that provides the name, date of birth, date of
death, if applicable, and any social security benefits paid to the individual
associated with that SSN, used by BWC to validate information in the claim file
and/or to calculate temporary total compensation (TT), permanent total
disability (PTD) and/or Disabled Workers’ Relief Fund (DWRF) payment rates.
1. It is the policy
of BWC to process requests for IW address or name changes only when the request
is made by the IW or IW representative.
2. BWC shall process
a request to change an IW’s address or name when the request is received:
a. In writing (on
the Injured Worker Change of Contact Information (C-77), or equivalent
form); or
b. In person at any
BWC Service Office.
3. In addition to
the abovementioned submission methods, BWC shall also accept requests for a
change of address:
a. Online; or
b. By phone.
1. BWC shall verify
the IW’s identity when requests for change of address or name are made:
a. By phone; or
b. In person.
2. BWC shall not
verify the IW’s identity when requests for change of address or name are made:
a. Online; or
b. In writing.
1. BWC staff shall
refer to the Standard
Claim File Documentation and Altered Documents policy and procedure for
claim note requirements; and
2. Shall follow any
other specific instructions for claim notes included in this procedure.
1. Telephone
Requests
a. When an IW calls
to request a change of address or name, claims services or customer contact
center staff shall verify and confirm all of the following:
i. Claim
number;
ii. Date of
injury;
iii. Social security
number;
iv. Date of birth; and
v. Previous
address.
b. If the IW cannot
provide all of the above information, claims services staff shall inform the IW
that the IW:
i. Must
either:
a) File a written
change request using the C-77 or equivalent form; or
b) File the change
request in person.
ii. May also
file online, if the request is for a change of address.
2. In-Person
Requests: Claims services staff shall verify the IW’s identity by requiring the
IW provide two forms of identification (e.g., driver’s license, picture ID
card, BWC identification card, social security card).
3. Written
Requests: Claims services staff shall ensure that there is a valid IW signature
on the C-77 or equivalent form.
1. Prior to
processing an IW address or name change, claims services (or customer contact
center) staff shall ensure that the IW’s identity has been verified, as
described in Section V.B immediately above.
2. IW Address
Changes
a. For address
change requests made via methods other than online, claims services or customer
contact center staff shall:
i. Expire
the previous address; and
ii. Enter the
updated address information into the claims management system.
a) Upon entering
the change of address, the claims management system will automatically send the
Notice of Address Change letter to the IW’s old address.
b) The letter
advises the IW to contact BWC if their address has not changed.
b. Upon receipt of a
work item or upon learning that the IW’s address has been changed, claims
services staff shall:
i. Check
the user ID in the address history window to determine if the address was
changed by the IW online.
ii. Review the
claim file to determine if there are recently mailed orders or pending exams
that may require follow-up with the IW and additional action (e.g. resending
order or rescheduling an exam); and
iii. If necessary,
address IW notification issues with their supervisor.
c. Claims
services staff shall never edit a valid address unless modification needs to be
made due to clerical errors with the existing address.
d. Validating IW’s Address
When BWC Receives Returned Mail
i. If
correspondence sent to the IW is returned by the post office due to incorrect
mailing address, claims services staff shall attempt to find a new address for
the IW by:
a) Contacting the
IW by phone;
b) Contacting the
IW’s representative by phone;
c) Contacting the
employer of record;
d) Contacting the
MCO;
e) Contacting the
IW’s current treating provider(s);
f) Reviewing
claims documents filed within the last 30 days to determine if a current
address is noted; or
g) Researching online.
ii. If claims
services staff has exhausted all reasonable effort as listed above and is not
able to obtain a valid current address, claims services staff shall work with
their supervisor to determine next steps.
3. IW Name Changes
a. Upon receipt of
a request, in person or in writing, from an IW to change their name, BWC staff
shall verify that the IW has provided the appropriate proof of a legal name
change.
i. BWC
shall not process a request to change the IW’s name until the IW provides proof
of either:
a) A name change
with the SSA; or
b) A court order or
judgment granting a legal name change.
ii. If claims
services staff has any questions about whether the proof provided by the IW
meets the above criteria, they shall staff these issues with a BWC attorney.
b. If the IW has a
SSN attached to their customer record, claims services staff shall complete a
SSA cross match to verify that the IW’s name is changed with the SSA.
i. If
the SSA cross match is returned and the IW’s new name matches the name that shows
in the error report returned from SSA, claims services staff shall add the name
to the IW’s customer record, which triggers the claims management system to add
the IW’s previous name as an alias.
ii. If the SSA
cross match is returned and the IW’s new name does not match their social
security number, claims services staff shall staff the issue with a BWC
attorney to determine whether:
a) The IW’s new
name can be updated in the IW’s customer record; or
b) Claims services
staff should set a work item to run another SSA cross match at a later date prior
to updating the IW’s customer record.
4. Once the IW’s
address or name is updated in the IW’s customer record, claims services staff
does not need to manually update each claim attached to the IW’s record. The
claims management system will automatically make the same changes in all claims
attached to the IW’s record.
5. Claims services
staff shall contact the BWC Special Investigations Unit if fraudulent activity
is suspected.