The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) has changed its billing process to a prospective model versus the previously retrospective model. Any premium payment currently due must be paid by August 31, 2015, although if the employer is in good standing, it will likely owe $0 at this time. However, the BWC has realized a few issues with the change in this process:

Payroll Report Issue

BWC has identified an issue with the receipt and processing of payroll reports for the first half of 2015 that were submitted to the lockbox. The processing of submitted reports has been delayed, but BWC has developed a work-around procedure to process the reports with the goal of being up to date with processing by September 4, 2015.

Employers questioning the processing of their report should be advised that BWC will strive to have their policy information up to date as soon as possible. Employers are also encouraged to register an account through the BWC web site so that they can take advantage of the available information and be prepared for future reporting and the benefits associated with using on-line offerings.

New Message on Monthly Invoices

A new message that will show up on the BWC invoices starting with the invoice dated August 30, 2015. This message states: "Payments made within the last 14 days may not be reflected on this invoice. Failure to pay your premium in full by the due date will result in a lapse in coverage. You are responsible for all claims costs for injuries that occur during a period of lapsed coverage."

Due to the 30-day invoice cycle, the BWC must run the invoices about 14 days prior to the invoices going out. For this reason, employers may receive an invoice the first couple days of September when they paid their bill on time at the end of August. Employers can visit the website at www.bwc.ohio.gov to obtain the most current information on their policy.