Frequently Asked Questions

Policyholders

There are two ways an employer can report a workplace injury:

Call Us

Phone
Report a FROI Online

Online
Call Chesapeake Employers' Injury Reporting Hotline at 1-888-410-1400.

In the event of a catastrophic injury or fatality, after you call 911, please call Chesapeake Employers' Injury Reporting Hotline promptly.
Log in to your eServices account with Chesapeake Employers and file a First Report of Injury online.

This coverage protects an employer in those cases in which an employee files suit against the employer in lieu of accepting workers’ compensation insurance benefits.

Maryland law permits certain officers of close corporations, members of an LLC or P.A., or up to five officers of other corporations, to file a formal election to exclude themselves from workers’ compensation coverage. Please see Section 9-206 of the Labor and Employment Article of the Maryland Annotated Code for specific information on this topic.  Sole proprietors and partners are automatically excluded from coverage and must elect to include themselves.

Yes. Depending on your premium size and your payment history, a number of premium installment plans are available. An installment fee of $7.00 is applied per installment payment. There is no installment fee for a single pay plan.

Premium Audit

Chesapeake Employers conducts several types of audits. Chesapeake Employers reserves the right to determine the method/frequency of audits:

Mail Audit/Online Audit – The mail (or online) audit is conducted at the expiration or cancellation of your policy term. The online audit process is conducted via a secure third-party website. All information passing through this system is encrypted, ensuring the privacy and security of all financial information. The mail audit is then completed by the mail auditors at Chesapeake Employers’ headquarters.

Field Audit – Conducted at the policyholder’s place of business site with the policyholder and Chesapeake Employers’ auditor. Audits are scheduled at the expiration or cancellation of the policy.

Preliminary Audit – Conducted on site with a new policyholder and Chesapeake Employers’ auditor at the inception of the policy (usually within 60 days of the policy issuance). This type of audit is used to ensure the business operations and/or payroll are accurate.

Interim Audit – Conducted on site with the policyholder and Chesapeake Employers’ auditor during the policy term (i.e., quarterly or semi-annually). Interim audits are used to adjust a policy to reflect a significant change in business operations and/or payroll during the policy term.

Cancellation Audit – Conducted when the policy is cancelled mid-term and an audit is required to verify exposures, classification codes, and payroll.

Expired Audit – Conducted once the policy term is completed and an audit is required to verify exposures, classification codes, and payroll.

To better prepare for a premium audit please see the Premium Audit Checklist.

Policyholders selected for a mail audit now have an online option for submitting their audit information. The online audit process is conducted via a secure third-party website. All information passing through this system is encrypted, ensuring the privacy and security of all financial information.

The third-party website prompts policyholders step-by-step through the online audit process. Supporting documentation, such as pdfs of tax records and eCertificates of Insurance, may be uploaded securely through this website. The online audit process is designed to ensure confidentiality, accuracy, and ease of doing business with Chesapeake Employers Insurance.

If a policyholder does not have access to the internet to complete the mail audit online, he or she can contact the auditor assigned to his/her account for instructions on how to fax or mail this information to Chesapeake Employers. Note that the online audit process is reserved for mail audits only. Our field audit staff will continue to conduct physical audits as needed.

IMPORTANT: Policyholders should stop using any old IWIF or Chesapeake 2-page mail audit forms, as these forms can no longer be tracked electronically. The submission of any old forms can lead to a delayed or an unresponsive audit, both of which may lead to cancellation of the policy.

Please have your payroll records organized as follows:

  • Policy term: Present records that reflect payroll for the policy term, beginning with the effective date of your policy.
  • Classification: List each type of job separately, i.e., clerical, sales, etc.
  • Jurisdiction: Record the geographical areas in which your employees worked.
  • Overtime: Record overtime paid to employees during the policy term.

Payroll or remuneration means money or substitutes for money. Both payroll and remuneration records are requested during a premium audit.

If you do not agree with our audit and would like to contest it, please review the following requirements and provide the necessary supporting documentation, within 30 days of the audit invoice date. Disputes with supporting documentation received within 30 days of the audit invoice date will generally be resolved within 14 days of receipt of the required records. If the dispute and required documentation are not received within 30 days, we will presume you are in agreement with our audit. 

*For more information please review the Premium Audit Dispute Requirements form.
**Review the Spanish version of the Premium Audit Dispute Requirements form.

Send letter and necessary supporting documentation to:

Audit Dispute Resolution
Chesapeake Employers' Insurance Company
8722 Loch Raven Blvd., Towson, MD 21286

or fax to: 410-494-2497

Upon receipt of the dispute, we will send an acknowledgement to you and to your agent, if applicable.

As a reminder, even if a dispute has been filed, payment for the current term’s premium must continue to be paid in order to maintain coverage and prevent cancellation.

Injured Workers

The initial requirements to determine if a workplace injury is compensable starts with these criteria: Accidental Injury and Arising out of and in the Course and Scope of Employment. To be covered under workers’ compensation, an employee must have sustained an accidental personal injury while working (“on the job”). The injury must have arisen “out of and in the course of employment.” Not all workplace injuries are compensable. If the injury is determined to be compensable, then Chesapeake Employers will provide causally related medical treatment and monetary benefits if appropriate.

Workers' compensation may pay for:

  • Medical bills that are work related, medically necessary, and reasonable
  • Benefits related to lost wages due to disability
  • Prescriptions
  • Durable medical equipment
  • Vocational rehabilitation services

The most important step is to immediately report the injury to your supervisor and to seek medical attention if needed. Maryland law guarantees your right to choose a medical provider. However, your employer, adjuster or nurse case manager are available to assist you in finding a medical provider for your injury. In more severe or life-threatening cases, you should go to the nearest hospital or emergency room.

Your employer will have contacted Chesapeake Employers to file an Employer’s First Report of Injury. Then a Chesapeake Employers’ claims adjuster and/or nurse may contact you to discuss your treatment and ability to return to work. He or she will be able to answer questions and arrange for further treatment on your behalf, if needed. Note: As part of the claim process, the adjuster may need to take your recorded statement.

If you believe you have suffered a compensable injury, you may file a claim with the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commission by completing a C1 Employee Claim Form (ECF). The Employee Claim Form must be filed within two years of the date of accident. If your injury causes you to lose more than 3 days of work, Chesapeake Employers will send you the C1 Employee Claim Form. It is your responsibility to complete the C1 Employee Claim Form and submit it to the Workers’ Compensation Commission.
The Workers’ Compensation Commission will assign a claim number and forward a copy of the employee claim form to all appropriate parties. The form may be completed as a hard copy or electronically by visiting the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commission website at www.wcc.state.md.us.

Prescriptions necessary for your treatment and recovery will be pre-authorized through a medical provider with no out-of-pocket cost to you. You will be given an eligibility number, which is specific to the date of injury and can be used at more than 900 participating pharmacies in Maryland. It is important to know that all prescriptions will be filled generically unless your doctor specifically requests a name brand.

You may contact your claims adjuster or nurse case manager regarding treatment. To check on the status of your claim, you may call your adjuster, nurse case manager or the Chesapeake Employers’ Customer Service Department at 1-800-264-4943, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

A transitional return to work program is designed to get you back to work within your medical restrictions as determined by a physician or medical provider. With transitional return to work, your employer provides you with a modified job, or modified duty, which helps in the transition back to your regular duties. It may be either part- or full-time, but it is not intended to be permanent. It is important that you keep a positive outlook on returning to work. The ultimate goal is for you to return to regular, full-time duty.