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Check your mail, cash those dividend checks!
We urge Ohio employers to cash the dividend checks we mailed in December to mitigate the economic hardship brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. As of Jan. 12, more than 23,000 employers still had not cashed $513.7 million in checks we sent last month in our $5 billion dividend for nearly 180,000 private and public employers. Read more on our website. |
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Deadline extended for HVAC assistance program
We’ve extended our deadline to apply for reimbursement for eligible expenses under our COVID-19 Indoor Air Quality Assistance Program to March 31, 2021. This federally funded program provides reimbursement for nursing homes, assisted living centers, and adult day centers that invest in air quality improvements that reduce the spread of COVID-19. This may include the costs of inspections, assessments, maintenance, and improvements to indoor heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. It also provides reimbursement for secondary devices designed to destroy bacteria, mold, and viruses. Read more, including eligibility requirements, on our website.
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Ohio’s public employers will pay an average of 10% less in premiums this year thanks to a rate reduction that went into effect Jan. 1. The total savings for employers is about $14.8 million over last year’s premiums. The reduction, made possible by declining injury trends and relatively low medical inflation costs, follows a 10% cut in 2020 and a 12% reduction in 2019. Read more on our website. A history of BWC rate changes since 2000 for private and public employers can be found online by clicking this link.
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Send us your W-9s
We issued nearly $8 billion in dividends in 2020, some or all of which might be taxable to you. (Please consult your tax adviser.) The deadline to send your W-9 to us was Dec. 31, 2020. If you missed the deadline, please send us your W-9 immediately. You can upload the form on our website using our Upload W-9 service offering, or you can mail us a W-9 (find the form on the IRS website) to Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, 30 W. Spring St., Columbus, OH 43215. If you have any questions, please call our customer contact center at 1-800-644-6292. Read more on our website.
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Watch your doorstep, employers. Working with Ohio manufacturers and nonprofits, we are distributing 23 million face masks to Ohio’s employers and workforce to weaken the spread of COVID-19. This is the second round of masks in our Protecting Ohio’s Workforce – We’ve Got You Covered initiative. Employers will not be billed for the masks. Read more about the companies involved and the jobs they’re creating on our website.
(Click the photo to see Ohio mask manufacturing in action.)
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It's OK to not be OK
It's OK to feel stressed or anxious right now. There is help available. Click the picture to see more!
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January edition of Safety Update
Check out the latest news from NIOSH and OSHA.
Blogs: News and insights
We encourage you to visit our blog each month to get the latest on news related to workers’ compensation. New for January:
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Important dates
Jan. 26 — Webinar: Are You a Hazmat Employer? What to Know to Stay in Compliance. Read more.
Jan. 26 — Better You, Better Ohio! wellness webinar. Read more.
Jan. 27 — Virtual training: Violence in the Workplace. Read more.
Jan. 28 — Employer webinar. Read more.
Jan. 29 — Private employer program application deadline. Read more.
Jan. 29 — Board of Directors meeting. Read more.
Feb. 1 — 300AP due (public employers). Read more.
Feb. 1 — Virtual Training: Electrical Safety in the Workplace through Insight and Implementation of NFPA 70E. Read more.
Feb. 3 — Virtual Training: Job Safety Analysis (JSA). Read more.
Feb. 10 — Virtual training: OSHA Recordkeeping Half-day Workshop. Read more.
Feb. 15 — Public employer payroll true-up deadline. Read more.
Check out other important dates on our website.
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Established in 1912, the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation is the exclusive provider of workers’ compensation insurance in Ohio and serves 249,000 public and private employers. With nearly 1,700 employees and assets of approximately $28 billion, BWC is one of the largest state-run insurance systems in the United States. Our mission is to deliver consistently excellent experiences for each BWC customer every day. For more, visit www.bwc.ohio.gov.
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