Newsletter

2026 Workers’ Compensation Claims Audit

The California JPIA conducts an annual independent audit of our workers’ compensation third-party administrator (TPA), Athens Administrators. Following the retirement of longtime auditor Jim Bankson, the Authority retained Independent Consulting & Risk Management Services (ICRMS) to perform this year’s audit.

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Although ICRMS audited the Authority’s workers’ compensation program for the first time, they have served as the auditor for the liability program for over a decade. ICRMS audits claims handling for public risk pools throughout the country, and this audit focused on 152 randomly selected open claims, including a sample from each of our assigned claims examiners. The audit was based on Athens’ compliance with the Authority’s key performance indicators and statutory requirements. Following the initial phase of the audit, the team at Athens responded to the findings before a final score was calculated.

This year’s score of 96.84 percent represents a more than two-and-a-half percent increase over last year’s 94.28 percent mark. This score also marks the claims team’s 16^th consecutive audit score of 90 percent or higher.

“This year’s audit score is the highest score our team has achieved in over 15 years. They have shown a consistent ability to comply with both the Authority’s rigorous standards as well as the requirements imposed by the State of California. They continue to look out for the interests of the injured employees they serve as well as the Authority’s members,” said Jeff Rush, workers’ compensation program manager.

If members have any questions or feedback regarding the workers’ compensation programs or the recent audit results, they are welcome to contact Jeff Rush.

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