A university employee or volunteer who is injured while traveling directly from one university job site to another university job site is eligible to claim worker's compensation insurance benefits for such injuries. A university employee or volunteer who is injured while traveling from home to the university job site or from the university job site to home is not eligible to claim worker's compensation insurance benefits for such injuries. These two insurance programs are funded by premiums assessed annually against state agencies, including the university. Initial claims against the State Program for liability insurance generally are processed locally by the university's risk management coordinator who resides in the university's Purchasing Department. This risk management coordinator also maintains copies of all the insurance policies in force affecting the university.
Processing involves collecting information and completing the appropriate forms.
The university is not obligated to but may recommend any liability or worker's compensation claim be settled or denied. The university's recommendations, if any, are advisory only but typically are given great deference. All locally processed claims are forwarded to the DRM for its in-depth review and resolution. Denied or otherwise unresolved claims generally evolve into lawsuits, and the university's attorneys and any attorneys the university elects to retain assist the DRM in defending against such lawsuits. The following information was distributed by the General Counsel's office in a memorandum dated December 11, 1997.