CompHub – The New Filing System for Workers’ Compensation Claims in Maryland
In August of last year, the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commission began the implementation of a newly designed online portal called CompHub. With it came new features with the goal of streamlining and making the filing process for all parties involved in a Workers’ Compensation claim easier. However, with all things new, the transition to using the CompHub Portal has raised many questions that are, with time, being addressed by the Commission.
Two of the most common questions we have received so far include properly registering with CompHub and how receiving notifications from the Commission will be handled moving forward. After receiving so many questions on these two topics, we reached out to the Commission, who took the time to address these questions to some degree.
When it comes to who is required to register with the new CompHub portal, the answer is quite simple. Every party involved in a claim needs to register with CompHub. From the employers, whether self-insured or not, to Insurers, to even third-party administrators, any individual who is involved with a claim must complete the registration process. While many have asked why the employers must register if they have an insurance company handling claims on their behalf, the Commission still asks that the employers register with CompHub even if they are represented by an Insurer.
With this registration requirement, the Insurer, specifically the insurer designee, now carries the burden of ensuring that parties are properly registered. The insurer designee is one dedicated individual with the insurer who is responsible for managing any individual’s access to a particular claim by designating them as an insurer delegate. Once added as an insurer delegate, individuals will then have the capability to file various forms through the portal.
Addressing notices, the Commission has advised that Insurers will need to designate one email to act as the “mail room” where all workers’ compensation notices are sent. This email will receive every workers’ compensation notice that is generated for every claim the insurer is listed in, and thus, it is highly advised that this email be separate from the insurer designee’s email to prevent overflow. Moving forward, the insurers will need to design a system to monitor this claims email to ensure that all notices are forwarded to the individuals assigned to any given claim in a timely manner.
The above are just two of the many questions that have been addressed so far by the Commission as the transition period to the full implementation of CompHub continues. With time, we can only hope that the Commission continues to address questions that arise as more individuals complete the CompHub registration process and begin to use CompHub more frequently.
Written by associate Austin Scott.