For Immediate Release:
November 2, 2018

Monmouth County earns coveted Workers’ Compensation Program Award

Risk & Insurance Honors Monmouth County with its Theodore Roosevelt Workers’ Compensation & Disability Management Award

FREEHOLD, NJ – Monmouth County was recently awarded the Theodore Roosevelt Workers’ Compensation & Disability Management Award (Teddy Award) by Risk & Insurance. The award has been one of the most coveted awards in the workers’ compensation industry for more than 20 years.

“Congratulations to our Division of Benefits on this tremendous achievement,” said Freeholder Gerry P. Scharfenberger, Ph.D. “Monmouth County employs 4,100 employees and our Division of Benefits has been committed to not only meeting the needs of both the County and our employees but fostering a safe and healthy work environment.”

The Teddy Award is given to organizations who provide tangible evidence of their workers’ compensation program having positive results and demonstrate how their program is sustainable, uses teamwork and implements solutions that go beyond traditional methods.

Since re-vamping the Benefits and Workers' Compensation program in 2008, Monmouth County has achieved outstanding results, including: total new claim volume decreased over 40 percent, from 410 claims in 2009 to just 230 claims in 2017, lost-time claims decreased from 80 in 2009 to 34 in 2017 and more. The County’s calendar year paid totals have also been trending downward from $5.1 million in 2010 to $4.4 million in 2017.

“For the past 10 years the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders, County Administrators and our third-party administrator, PMA Management Corp., have been working together to secure stronger workers’ compensation outcomes and protect employees while controlling costs,” said William McGuane, Monmouth County's Benefits Coordinator. “The success of the program was driven by a host of strategic initiatives, including: improved worker safety, leadership awareness, return-to-work innovations, complex negotiations, a popular wellness program and more.”

The Teddy Award, established in 1994, was named for President Theodore Roosevelt because he introduced the first significant piece of workers’ compensation legislation. Previous Teddy award winners include: American Airlines, The U.S. Treasury Department, IBM, Pepsi-Cola and Villanova University.

Photo Caption: Left to right, Barbara McDonald, Claims Examiner, Bill McGuane, Department Manager, Jennifer Hunter, Unit Supervisor & Kristy Towle, Leave Administrator.

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