EPL Fund Reimbursement Form

The Prevent One – Excellence in Employment Practices Fund (Fund) that was first offered in 2014, 2018, and 2020, is being provided again in 2021.  As in the past, the goal of the Fund is to support the 2016 Employment Practices Liability (EPL) Risk Management Initiative and “prevent one” EPL claim for California Healthcare Insurance Company, Inc., RRG (CHI) owners who purchase the optional EPL coverage on their CHI policy.  Over the past 5 years, CHI has averaged approximately 45 EPL claims per year.  Together, if we can “prevent one” EPL claim (average cost per EPL claim is $110K over past 10 years) from occurring, the fund will be a success!

Total reimbursement per CHI insured entity (with EPL coverage) is set at $3,000 maximum.  The Fund provides reimbursement for expenses incurred in 2021 under the following program parameters:

  • CHI owner is responsible for selecting and contacting EPL legal counsel (Optima Claims Specialist is available to provide assistance if requested).
  • Following a qualified EPL-related 2021 payment made by the CHI owner, the CHI EPL Fund reimbursement form must be completed online and submitted, along with copy of the facility’s check or credit card payment and invoice supporting the EPL expense(s).
  • Maximum reimbursement, per CHI owner, is $3,000 for calendar year 2021. Reimbursement request form must be submitted by December 17, 2021.

The following 2021 expenses qualify for reimbursement under the Fund:

  • Legal expenses for advice related to:
    • difficult employment practices situation
    • review/revision of Employee Handbook
    • review/update of Human Resources (HR) policies and procedures
    • consultation fees prior to leave of absence (LOA) or separation of employment
  • Membership fees to Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) to support your HR staff. Membership includes HR topics, legal and compliance, tools and samples, in addition to education for HR best practices.
  • Membership fees to American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration (ASHHRA) to support your HR staff. Membership includes access to ASHHRA Exchange, ASHHRA Annual Conference, AHA affiliation and AHA Resource Center, local chapter affiliation, education, resources, toolkits and products.
  • Software expenses to invest/implement/update HR information management software
  • Certification expenses to HR staff to become certified as Senior Professionals in HR (SPHR)
  • Consultant or legal expenses related to developing formal HR-related training program for management
  • Consultant or legal expenses related to establishing centralized Absence Management Process with specific written procedures for the accommodation process, including specific time frames, documentation and tracking requests for reasonable accommodation, while ensuring the confidentiality of the employee’s medical information
  • Consultant or legal expenses related to the performance of an HR risk assessment
  • Consultant or legal expenses for audits on HR policies or records such as time and attendance and staff competency
  • For other expenses related to “Prevent One – Excellence in Employment Practices” not included in the list above, please consult your Optima risk management consultant for reimbursement approval

If you have any questions, please contact your designated Optima risk management consultant: