Leave Administration

Follow the list of steps outlined here. Please also ensure you submit an Accident or Illness Report and Prescription Form to HR regardless of interest in filing a claim for compensation. You must notify HR in writing if you are not interested in filing a claim.

NOTE: If you or a coworker experiences a life or limb threatening injury or illness, seek immediate medical treatment by calling 911 to receive emergency assistance. Do not delay seeking treatment to follow the standard Workers Compensation process; it can be completed after the necessary attention is received.

Previously employees experiencing a work-related injury or illness would start the process at Student Health Services. No longer is this the case. In the event of a non-life or limb threatening emergencies, minor injuries should first be reported to our supervisor or HR to file a claim with the State Self Insurance Fund (SSIF). SSIF will make a determination on whether or not treatment is authorized under the State Workers Compensation program and if it is, the SSIF adjuster will make an appointment for you at an approved healthcare provider location and call you with the details. Typically, this process does not take very long. However, you may seek treatment prior to SSIF authorization if you feel it is necessary, but be aware that you will need to proceed with treatment under your personal insurance. Then, if your SSIF claim is denied, you will be responsible for any billing associated with your injury or illness. Additionally, if you seek treatment from an unauthorized healthcare provider (i.e. your personal physician), reimbursement ma be limited to $500.00 toward medical expenses. The amount of time given to report the injury or illness to SSIF is also reduced.

Workers' compensation is insurance that provides coverage for an employee who has suffered an injury or illness resulting from job-related duties and must seek medical assistance. An employee is eligible for workers compensation if an injury or illness occurred as a result of his/her work activity and occurred while the employee was in pay status. When an employee is injured at Wichita State University, that employee must follow proper procedures in order to be eligible for compensation. It is important to contact HR if you have any questions.

The treating physician will specify where the prescription is sent for you to pick up. The employee will pay for the prescription and bring a copy of the receipt to HR. Receipts are then sent to CompAlliance for consideration of reimbursement.

Every injured employee is eligible for mileage reimbursement, assuming the employee’s claim is approved by State Self-Insurance Fund. A mileage reimbursement form is available for use in tracking the miles you drive related to either obtaining medical care or purchasing medical related items, such as prescriptions. This form should be submitted periodically to HR, who will forward to CompAlliance for consideration of reimbursement.

Employee Accident or Illness Report and Prescription Form – must be completed and submitted to HR to file a claim.

Mileage Reimbursement Form - must be completed and submitted to HR to be reimbursed for mileage to medical appointments or prescription pick-ups. Download either a Word or PDF file.

Injured Employee's Report of Injury - this form will be required by SSIF after initial paperwork is submitted. It will be mailed to your home. However, you may complete it and give to HR to send for you. It is to be completed in your own handwriting.

Doctor's medical report(s) and progress report(s) - When you seek medical attention from a physician, you must notify that physician when your visit is for a workers’ compensation claim. This should signal your doctor to give you proper forms to be submitted to the HR, but you may want to specifically ask your doctor if they need to give you any paperwork related to Workers’ Compensation to submit to your employer. It is very important to submit all documentation to HR to ensure all of your visits are eligible for compensation. Doctor’s medical report(s) includes diagnosis, prognosis, return to work date, limitations, work restrictions, medical test referrals, and/or prescriptions. Every time you see your treating physician, you must collect these progress reports.

It is crucial to submit all paperwork and documentation to HR as soon as possible to ensure eligibility for compensation. The Employee Accident and Illness Report and Prescription Form must be submitted to Human Resources within 3 days of the employee’s injury or illness to ensure timely submission to SSIF. 

All medical documentation is stored securely within HR, either physicially within a filing cabinet away from employee personnel files, or digitally in a secured drive. Documentation specifically related to a Workers Compensation claim is also forwarded to SSIF to ensure that all compensable treatment is billed correctly.

If your treating physician does not allow you to return to work right away, notify both your supervisor and HR as soon as possible. The treating physician will let you know when you can return to work and if you have any physical work restrictions. Always notify your supervisor and HR with this information. It is crucial that you do NOT return to work unless authorized by the physician and HR. Additionally, if you are authorized to return to work with restrictions, this information needs to be supplied to HR to determine if the specified restrictions can be accommodated prior to you starting work again.

Your treating physician must first give you approval to return to work. Your return will also depend on your physical work restrictions specified by the treating physician. Work restrictions may be able to be accommodated to allow you to return to modified work. However, if your physical restrictions cannot be accommodated, you will not be able to return to work until those restrictions have been lifted, or until they are able to be accommodated.

The State of Kansas requires that sick leave is used toward any time away from work when you are receiving treatment under an active Workers Compensation claim and have not been cleared to return to work. Any appointments, treatment, surgery, or time off work due to the injury or illness is to be recorded as sick leave. If and when sick leave runs out, vacation time will be used next. If both sick leave and vacation time become depleted, then you will be on leave without pay.

Total Temporary Disability (TTD) payments, often referred to as lost-time pay or lost wages, is the compensation you will receive if your workers compensation claim is approved and you are unable to work due to your work-related injury or illness. The amount received is calculated based on your wage or salary at WSU. TTD payments will begin on the eighth (8th) full, consecutive day of missed work.

TTD payments are made biweekly on the normal payroll schedule. However, they are received directly from SSIF, rather than through WSU payroll. TTD pays two-thirds of your normal base rate of pay, which is then supplemented by WSU by applying any accrued sick or vacation leave available, meaning some employees receiving TTD will have two pay sources.

Please report all information to Human Resources as soon as possible so an investigation process can begin.

WSU is required to report all work-related injuries and illnesses to SSIF, even if no treatment is requested. This report creates a claim number for tracking purposes, even if there is no payment made to the employee or medical provider.