From The Iowa County magazine August 2019 issue

Why IMWCA? Keeping Employees Safe

The Iowa Municipalities Workers’ Compensation Association’s (IMWCA) mission is to help members keep employees safe through education and risk management, and all of our programs, services, and resources are focused on that mission.

Like most municipal pools across the state and country, IMWCA is a nonprofit organization born out of the insurance crisis of the 1980s. When traditional, standard insurers refused to serve municipalities, a group of cities asked the Iowa League of Cities (League) to help. IMWCA was born in 1981 as a 28E agreement. Then in 1987 the program was restructured to include counties, with Adair and Adams being the first counties to join. Today, the predominant number of cities, counties, and other governmental organizations in Iowa choose IMWCA for coverage of more than 50,000 employees.

The IMWCA Board of Trustees contracts with the League to administer the program which offers unparalleled personal service. IMWCA understands the unique challenges faced by local governments, because we are governed by and exclusively serve local governments.

IMWCA is an endorsed program of ISAC. Created in 1981 as a risk-sharing pool that provides workers’ compensation coverage.

IMWCA remains committed to serving local governments in Iowa. Learn more online at www.imwca.org.

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Education

Workshops and Training | Throughout the year and as needed, IMWCA hosts complimentary workshops for members, including the One-Day Safety University each October.

Online University | Members can take advantage of online, interactive training for all employees. The core curriculum includes 60+ courses available free to members. Monthly human resources topics, the ability to enter training taken outside the system, and CEUs for many courses are available. In the last year nearly 2,700 employees took more than 14,800 courses.

The Informer | Find articles and videos on human resources, claims, safety, and more in our monthly e-newsletter.

Risk Management

On-site Safety Consultations and Training | Loss control representatives have extensive knowledge specific to municipalities and are committed to spending time in our member counties to help with risk management and safety practices.

HR Specialist | Our certified human resources specialist provides assistance with human resources to help members manage their workers’ compensation exposures.

Model Programs | On our website you’ll find model programs and policies on a large variety of topics, including designated physicians, return-to-work, incident review, and a seatbelt policy which are all designed to enhance workplace safety.

Resources

24/7 Injury Reporting | Know your employees are being taken care of, even as they file the first-report of injury, with Company Nurse Day-of-Injury reporting with 24-hour claims reporting and access to medical recommendations (triage) from a registered nurse.

OSHA 300 Made Easy | When your employees report their injuries through Company Nurse, IMWCA’s 24/7 first-report of injury service, the RTWNow Tracker software will help produce your OSHA 300 and 300A reports as needed.

Safety and Innovation Grants | Programs acknowledge innovative, successful safety practices and encourage idea-sharing among the membership.

We are our Members

Helping you get your employees home safe is our mission. Because we only serve municipalities in Iowa, IMWCA has programs and services that directly meet the needs of Iowa’s local governments. Keeping employees safe means fewer claims and lower costs, which means a lower premium for the member. But what it really means is that loved ones and friends are going home safe. IMWCA has never answered to shareholders; we answer to our membership, who are people in your communities. Like them, IMWCA cares about your employees, who are your most valuable asset.

IMWCA was born out a need. Today, we exist to continue to ensure cities, counties, and other municipal entities have quality workers’ compensation coverage that provides them with the tools to send employees home safe. The 80 counties that have workers’ compensation coverage with IMWCA have chosen to partner with a program that was created for them and is governed by them.

Governed by Members: IMWCA Board of Trustees

IMWCA is governed by members, men and women that are your peers in county and city government. According to IMWCA’s Bylaws, the Board of Trustees includes nine members, four who currently work for or serve member counties and five from member cities, elected by the other members of the pool. Although there are currently no vacancies on the Board, if you’re interested in serving as Trustee in the future, please contact Director of Risk Services Jeff Hovey at jeffhovey@iowaleague.org or 800.257.2708.