Risk Management

Your Safety is Our Priority

The Office of Risk Management is responsible for overseeing the City's Workers' Compensation Program, managing liability claims filed against the City, conducting internal investigations of incidents involving City vehicles or equipment, placing insurance coverages and managing insurance claims, and for the development and implementation of loss control measures that benefit City employees and save taxpayer dollars.

Risk Management greatly appreciates all those who call our 311 Call Center to report potential hazards they may have seen. If you see a road hazard, a blocked storm inlet, or anything you think might pose a hazard to yourself or others please call 311 on your landline or dial 706-653-4000 on your cell phone, and the Citizen Services Center will dispatch your request to the appropriate department and/or Risk Management. You may also call the 311 Call Center if you wish to file a complaint about any service the City has provided.

Risk Management has placed Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in specific locations around City owned facilities for use by the public in case of a sudden cardiac arrest.

Office

Risk Management & Compliance Officer: Lauren Vance
Administrative Services Coordinator II: Sherry Evans
Risk Management Analyst Donna Miller

Bradley Building - Ground Floor
1111 1st Avenue
Phone: 706 - 225 - 4039

Liability

Filing a Claim

Reporting an Accident / Incident
Use the following guidelines for reporting an accident/incident.

  • If you are involved in a motor vehicle accident while operating a City vehicle, please report the accident immediately to our 911 Call Center.
  • If you have incurred property damage that you believe was directly caused by an employee of Columbus Consolidated Government, please call our 311 Call Center.
  • If you have incurred a personal injury that you believe was directly caused by an employee of Columbus Consolidated Government, please call our 311 Call Center as soon as possible.

After reporting an incident, a Risk Management Investigator will be dispatched to the scene. The investigator will provide you with a card containing the following information on how and when to contact Risk Management about the claim.

Wait 24 Hours After the Accident/Incident to Call

If you have any questions regarding your claim, please contact Risk Management.

Phone: 706-225-4039 / Fax: 706-225-4559
Email: rmclaims@columbusga.org

Bradley Building - Ground Floor
P.O. Box 1340 Columbus, GA 31902-1340

Instructions for Filing a Claim
All claims must

  1. be submitted in writing to the Office of Risk Management;
  2. include claimant's name, address, and contact information;
  3. include a detailed statement of the incident your claim is regarding;
  4. and, for vehicle accidents only, include an estimate of damage/repair costs from two separate licensed businesses.

Submit a Request

Liability Claims

Number of Claims That Were Referred to Outside Counsel

  • About 200

Initial Demands

  • About $29,450,000

Final Settlements

  • About $2,090,000

Number Closed Without Any Payment

  • About 100

 

Workers' Compensation

Workers' Compensation Bill of Rights

The Workers' Compensation Law provides you as a worker in the State of Georgia, with certain rights and responsibilities should you be injured on the job. The Workers' Compensation Law provides you coverage for a work-related injury even if an injury occurs on the first day on the job. For additional details, review the Bill of Rights for the Injured Worker.

Workers' Compensation Program

The City's Workers' Compensation Program is managed through a third-party administrator. Medical care is handled through a managed care organization, which provides the City with greater accessibility to treatment for our employees. CCG has won national and state awards for its progressive approach to treatment and return-to-work program.

We are extremely proud of all the City employees who have worked so hard to help us achieve the following results:

Workers' compensation by year chart

 

  • 2020 – Claims: 315 Total Annual Cost: $1,145,050.92 Average Cost per Claim: $3,635
  • 2021 – Claims: 307 Total Annual Cost: $968,822.51 Average Cost per Claim: $3,155
  • 2022 – Claims: 294 Total Annual Cost: $833,827.50 Average Cost per Claim: $2,836
  • 2023 – Claims: 272 Total Annual Cost: $624,237 Average Cost per Claim: $2,295
  • 2024 - Claims: 337 Total Annual Cost: $735,699.64 Average Cost per Claim: $2,183

Average Savings Per Claim for Return to Work Under National Guidelines

  • 120 Days

Percentage of Injured Workers Out of Work

  • Percentage considered acceptable:  65%
  • CCG percentage out of work:  Averages 12%

Additional Information

Insurance Polices maintained by Risk Management

  • Cyber
  • Catastrophic Vehicle
  • Property and Causality
  • Excess Workers' Compensation
  • Firefighter Cancer Benefit Program
  • Occupational Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Insurance

Documentation and Forms
Below is a link to the workers' compensation document library containing documentation and forms for handling a workers' compensation claim. the information provided is meant to be utilized by authorized personnel only. All matters regarding workers' compensation are highly confidential and may only be addressed directly by the risk manager.

Risk Management Documents »