Cottingham & Butler Claims Services

IAIABC: Please provide a description of your organization. 

Jordan Riney, WC Claims Supervisor-Coordinator, Cottingham & Butler Claims Services: Cottingham & Butler Claims Services (CBCS), is an independent, third-party administrator with national workers' compensation and liability claims capabilities since 1983. Superior claims service is provided, but not limited to: large deductible, self-insured, program managers, and captive clients. Cottingham Butler Claims Services is proud to have a 98% client retention rate.  Apart from monopolistic states, our organization has exposure to clients in all jurisdictions within the U.S.

With our home base in Dubuque, Iowa, our ever-growing organization, employing over 270 teammates, is stationed in over 23 states in the country. We recently celebrated our 40-year anniversary in Dubuque at our 2nd annual CBCS Connections event.   During this event, the CBCS team participated in team-wide trainings, development, and networking.  

IAIABC: How does your organization serve the workers’ compensation industry?

JR: Our highly skilled professionals work closely with clients throughout the entire workers' compensation claims handling process. Our organization is made up of several different teams, each playing a major role, in the dynamic growth and success of CBCS and the workers' compensation industry. Trying to narrow down our most important role played, is nearly impossible. From the sales executives obtaining our clients, the account management team handling each client-specific requirement, the accounting team handling financials, the IT team ensuring our system data is up to par, the adjuster handling the claim, nurses assisting in the medical aspects,  the FROI team setting up our claims, the policy team verifying and confirming coverage, the EDI team submitting each jurisdictional state filing, and the mail team to send out all correspondences, all of our professionals provide a vital role in our organization.

IAIABC: What do you see as some of the major challenges the industry is facing, and how can we as a community address them?

JR: As an industry, but also at the national level, I believe our economy is navigating through the “Great Resignation”. Due to the high turnover rates and the time and resources spent on training, this could cause any industry to flounder. COVID-19 has really changed the way we live today. It has also forced a more technological approach upon most workplaces, which might be perceived as a positive or negative aspect. We believe as an industry, we must continue to invest our employees with education, training & development to become better every day.

IAIABC: Are there any projects/programs/initiatives going on at your organization that you are particularly excited or enthusiastic about?

JR: As of last year, CBCS has partnered with WorkCompCollege, whose mission is to “provide a formal training system that embraces whole person recovery management and will help continue the trend towards lower cost and improved results through education, information exchange and mentorship.” One of our very own CBCS Claims Managers, Julie Bandy, is also a Dean for The School of Claims at WorkCompCollege. Several of our other team members are also actively obtaining their credentials and using the WorkcompCollege resources in their everyday claim’s handling. 

IAIABC: Why is your organization a member of the IAIABC? What would you tell others about the benefits of membership?

JR:  In the ever changing environment that we live in, the IAIABC has provided our organization uniformity and accuracy in our worker’s compensation claims handling, since June 2019. The continuing education courses and resources available for workers’ compensation, as a whole, are unmatched. From the EDI implementation guides, Claims Release 3.1 data, updates in real time for jurisdiction-specific resources, and frequently asked questions, I can confidently say that the IAIABC has provided our organization with nothing but success and positive outcomes. The IAIABC has served as a phenomenal resource and guide for CBCS claims handling. Our state filings especially, would not be the same without it!