
Claims
Management
Excellence in Claims Administration

PERMA partners with municipalities and other public entities in New York State to proactively address workplace risks, protect workers’ health and safety, and reduce costs associated with Workers’ Compensation. When a claim is filed, PERMA is quick to respond – within 24 hours – and provides both the employer and the injured worker with support and exceptional service.
PERMA prioritizes:
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Personalized Approach
We connect with injured workers to build rapport and understand their concerns. We help coordinate transitional duty plans with employers to allow injured workers adjust to potential challenges created by their injury.
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Expert Medical Case Management
A Registered Nurse serves as a Patient Advocate on claims involving lost time. This ensures workers get the treatment they need to return to health and productivity.
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Cost Containment
We emphasize cooperative planning and ensuring the satisfaction of injured workers to minimize the risk of malingering or fraud, along with the associated costs. We identify and pursue any potential subrogation – when other entities bear some liability and associated cost for injuries.

At PERMA, claims adjusting is about caring for the injured worker while balancing the needs of the employer.
Claims Team
Our in-house claims administration consists of professionals arranged into designated teams that include a Technical Claims Manager, Patient Advocate, Claims Specialist, Senior Case Analyst and/or Case Analyst I/II.
Their dedication and experienced is exemplified by:
- An overall average of 12 years of workers’ compensation experience.
- All claims managers and case analysts are licensed by New York State.
- Staff has exceeded all the WCB’s performance goals for timely reporting of injuries, and timely first payments to injured workers.
- Several team members hold valued designations, including Associate in Claims (AIC), Senior Claim Law Associate (SCLA), Workers’ Compensation Claim Law Associate (WCLA), and Workers’ Compensation Professional (WCP).
Caseload
PERMA’s case analysts carry a lower than industry average caseload by design, which allows them to provide members and cases more detailed attention and often find issues, errors and opportunities for savings that others don’t.
- Lost time case load averages are between 125-130, which is lower than the industry average.
- Analysts have the ability to spend more time in-depth on each claim.
- Claims are assigned to the appropriate case analyst for the specific loss.
- Patient advocates are fully utilized for lost time claims from the beginning of the claim.
Evidence of Excellence
When organizations change Third-Party Administrators (TPAs) and bring their previous claims over to PERMA, we review the member’s claims, past and present. The diligent attention of our experienced team yields peace of mind – and sometimes, surprising savings.
- When a County joined PERMA, they received $400,000 in reimbursements for overpayment on Workers’ Comp claims managed by their previous carrier.
- One school district switched from a Third-Party Administrator, and when PERMA reviewed their account found an overlooked claim for which the district had been penalized for late reporting, and were able to recoup $60,000 in losses for the district.
- When a new member joined we were able to secure $450,000 in recoverables missed by their former TPA.
For More Information
Christine Southworth
Director, Claims Operations
888-737-6269, ext. 245
csouthworth@perma.org
A Smarter Way to Do Business
- PERMA was created by municipalities for municipalities and other public entities in New York State.
- Members contribute annually and build equity to benefit collectively from the PERMA team’s diligent efforts to reduce claims costs.
Member Spotlight

“PERMA knows what kind of work we do and understands that we have claims now and then. They prepare us well financially for claims and work with us to make sure the person is evaluated properly.”
– Pat Becher, Executive Director


