4-39 Workers' Compensation Policy

• Effective date of this revision: July 1, 2026
• Contact for more information: Human Resources

Policy Statement

Central Michigan University (CMU) is committed to providing a safe workplace and preventing work-related injuries or illnesses. When injuries or illnesses do occur out of and in the course of employment to persons with whom the university maintains an employer-employee relationship, CMU shall provide workers’ compensation benefits in accordance with the Michigan Workers’ Compensation Act. In addition, CMU aims to aid all eligible employees who are temporarily unable to perform their regularly assigned duties as the result of a work-related injury or illness in returning to work in modified capacity when applicable. This policy does not cover non-work-related injuries or illness. 

Rights & Responsibilities

Workers’ compensation benefits include reasonable and necessary medical care, wage loss benefits and vocational rehabilitation services as applicable.

Employees must report any work-related injury or illness immediately to their supervisor, regardless of severity. Failure to timely report a work-related injury or illness as outlined in this policy may result in delay, denial, or reduction of an employee’s workers’ compensation benefits. Medical treatment sought outside this process may not be covered, especially within the first 28 days.

Medical Care

Authorized medical expenses directly resulting from a work-related injury or illness are paid, per the statutory fee schedule, by CMU and are not covered by the university’s group health insurance policies, provided that the proper procedures for reporting an injury or illness and seeking treatment are followed as outlined in this policy.

During the first 28 days of treatment following a work-related injury or illness, CMU has the right to designate the employee’s healthcare provider. After the 28-day point, the employee may elect to change healthcare providers to a ‘like’ doctor of the employee’s choosing; however, CMU’s workers’ compensation representative in Human Resources must be notified in writing prior to the employee seeking alternate treatment. CMU reserves the right to dispute the employee’s choice of physician.

Wage Loss Benefits

Workers’ compensation wage loss benefits are payable after seven consecutive days of wage loss, following a work-related injury or illness. If a disability resulting from a work-related injury or illness continues for two weeks or longer (fourteen consecutive days), the employee is entitled to be paid wage loss compensation benefits for the first week of disability from the date of injury/disablement.

• Generally, employees receiving wage loss benefits will receive 80% of their average weekly wage, calculated by taking the average of the highest 39 weeks of the last 52 weeks of gross wages prior to injury, subject to a maximum rate as determined by the Michigan Workers’ Disability Compensation Agency. The 80% is calculated based on an after-tax value of the calculated average weekly wage.
• For each day of absence due to a work-related injury or illness, CMU will automatically supplement the employee’s wage loss benefits with any accrued, unused sick leave in order to keep their average weekly wage whole. When sick leave is exhausted, other accrued, unused leave (vacation, personal time, comp time, additional hours) will be used in the order noted to keep the employee in a paid, active status on CMU payroll. Wage loss benefits supplemented with accrued leave time shall not exceed the employee’s average weekly base wage/salary.
• If the employee does not have accrued leave time available, or when accrued leave time has been exhausted and only regular workers’ compensation wage less benefits are paid, the employee will be placed on an unpaid workers’ compensation related leave of absence in CMU’s payroll system. Employees will not accrue paid time off while only receiving workers’ compensation wage loss benefits.
• Employees will receive contributions to their TIAA retirement account on all wages paid through CMU’s workers’ compensation program – whether those payments are processed through CMU’s payroll or issued directly by the ASU Group, CMU’s claims management service.
• Employees will be responsible for paying their portion of benefit premiums if they are not receiving any or enough wages from CMU to cover their contribution amount.

Any time off for a work-related injury lasting for more than three consecutive, full calendar days will be considered Family Medical Leave (if eligible) and will reduce an employee’s 12-week calendar year entitlement.

Vocational Rehabilitation Services

Pursuant to section 319 of the Michigan Workers’ Compensation Act, an employee who suffers a work-related injury or illness that results in permanent restrictions that cannot be accommodated in the position held prior to their injury or illness, that prevents them from preforming work for which they have previous training or experience, may be entitled to vocational rehabilitation benefits paid for by the employer to help the employee re-join the workforce, either in  a different position within the organization or within their surrounding community.

Vocational rehabilitation can include a variety of professional services designed to help injured workers re-enter the workforce and are individually tailored to meet the injured employee’s specific needs. These services may include job placement assistance, retraining support, counseling services, or transportation cost reimbursement. Vocational rehabilitation services are paid for by CMU, when applicable.

Participation in a vocational rehabilitation program is not mandatory; however, if an employee refuses to cooperate in the program when offered, wage loss benefits may be reduced or suspended, pending a vocational rehabilitation hearing before the agency director or designee. Employees must be in active employment status with CMU to be eligible for vocational rehabilitation benefits.

Additional information on vocational rehabilitation provisions of the Michigan’s Workers’ Disability Compensation Act can be found by visiting: www.michigan.gov/wdca.

Procedure

Failure to follow these procedures may result in non-payment of medical expenses, delays in benefits, or other limitations on coverage permitted by law.

Reporting an Injury

1. Employees who suffer a work-related injury or illness should immediately report the incident to their supervisor, if able.
2. The injured employee or their supervisor must call CMU’s workers’ compensation hotline at 989-774-7177 as soon as possible (ideally within 24 hours) to report the incident. A 24-hour voicemail system is available to leave a message if the call is received outside of regular business hours.
   • If prompted to leave a voicemail, the injured employee or their supervisor should leave a detailed description of the incident including the name of the injured employee, the date, time and location of the incident, the nature of the injury/illness, the exact body part(s) injured, if any medical treatment is needed, along with a call back number for any follow-up questions.
3. An Employee Work Related Injury Report form must be completed and sent to CMU’s workers’ compensation representative in the Human Resources office at workerscomp@cmich.edu or sent to 109 Rowe Hall. If there were any witnesses to the incident, they must also be noted on the form and sign the form on the applicable line.

    

   The Employee Work-Related Injury Report form can be located by navigating to the Human Resources homepage, Employment Services, Workers’ Compensation and selecting the link to “Incident Report Form.” The form must be completed in full and signed by all applicable parties prior to submitting the form to CMU’s workers’ compensation representative
   • .

Seeking Treatment

Employees requiring medical treatment for a work-related injury or illness should seek treatment at one of the following CMU-designated medical providers once treatment has been authorized by CMU’s Human Resources office.

NOTE: If an injured employee choose to see their own medical provider or seek treatment as facilities other than those listed below within the first 28 days following injury or illness, the employee may be responsible for any expenses incurred.

• For NON-emergency care, seek treatment at:
  McLaren Central Michigan ReadyCare/COMP
  1523 S. Mission (next to Rally’s)
  Mount Pleasant, MI 48858
  (989) 773-1166
• For EMERGENCY care, call 911 immediately and seek treatment at:McLaren Central Michigan Emergency Department (ER)
  121 South Drive
  Mount Pleasant, MI 48858
  (989) 772-6777

If an injury or illness is not critical and the employee cannot drive themselves, contact CMU Police at 989-774-3081 for transportation assistance.

Seeking Treatment Outside of Mount Pleasant (including out-of-state)

Employees located outside of Mount Pleasant who require medical attention for a work-related injury or illness should seek treatment at the nearest medical facility that has the ability to treat work-related injuries or illness. Prior to seeking treatment at a facility located outside of Mount Pleasant, the employee must request an Authorization to Invoice CMU form which will be completed by CMU’s workers’ compensation representative and provided to the employee. If emergency treatment is needed, the employee should not wait for authorization and should seek treatment immediately at the nearest available emergency facility.

After Seeking Treatment

Employees must provide a copy of all discharge/after-visit notes related to treatment for a work-related injury or illness to either their supervisor or to CMU’s workers’ compensation representative immediately following receipt of such documentation. Supervisors must work with CMU’s workers’ compensation representative to review the medical documentation for any work restrictions and confirm whether such restrictions can be accommodated.

Follow-Up Treatment

When initial treatment for a work-related injury warrants an emergency visit to McLaren Central Michigan ER, a follow-up appointment must be scheduled at the McLaren ReadyCare/COMP location as soon as possible for a formal occupational health evaluation.

It is the employee’s responsibility to communicate any ongoing treatment or work restrictions, including any follow-up appointments or scheduled procedures (x-ray, MRI, etc.), to CMU’s workers’ compensation representative for proper reporting and case management. Any medical notes associated with the work-related injury or illness must be forwarded to CMU’s workers’ compensation representative as soon as possible after receipt.

Returning to Work

Employees released by a treating physician to full-time duty or modified/restricted duty, following a work-related injury or illness, must communicate their intent to return to work to their immediate supervisor and to CMU’s workers’ compensation representative prior to returning to work. CMU may require the employee to provide a copy of their job description to the treating physician to appropriately evaluate whether the employee should be considered for return to work and in what capacity.

• Returning to work without restrictions: Employees able to return to work without restrictions must supply sufficient medical documentation to CMU’s workers’ compensation representative, outlining their full release to return to work, prior to returning. Once the employee is cleared to return to work, CMU’s workers’ compensation representative will communicate the confirmation of release to the employee and to the employee’s immediate supervisor.
• Returning to work with restrictions: Employees able to return to work with restrictions must communicate all restrictions in a timely manner to both their direct supervisor and CMU’s workers’ compensation representative. CMU will evaluate the employee’s ability to return to work on accordance with the Work Accommodation Process policy. The employee’s supervisor and CMU’s workers’ compensation representative will determine whether the restrictions prevent the employee from being able to perform the essential functions of their position. It is the expectation of the employee’s department to provide reasonable accommodations for all returning employees, unless sufficient justification can be provided stating that the accommodation(s) would cause an undue hardship on operations.
  • Employees on restricted work are responsible for communicating any changes in their restrictions to their supervisor and to CMU’s workers’ compensation representative as soon as practicable. At the time that such changes in restrictions are received, CMU’s workers’ compensation representative will work with the employee’s direct supervisor to evaluate any changes to their work accommodations, if applicable.

Central Michigan University reserves the right to make exceptions to modify or eliminate this policy and or its content. This document supersedes all previous policies, procedures or guidelines related to this subject.