USF St. Petersburg strives to provide a safe and healthy work environment. The Workers’ Compensation program is intended to provide medical treatment, disability leave and supplemental wages, as necessary, to eligible employees in the event they experience a work-related injury or illness. Eligible employees include Faculty, Administration, Staff, Federal Work Study student employees and Temporary (formerly OPS) employees, as well as volunteers, who sustain a work-related injury or illness. USF St. Petersburg (USFSP) is committed to returning employees to work, either on light or regular duty as appropriate, following a work-related injury or illness once a physician has released them to return to work.

The Workers' Compensation program is administered by the Florida Department of Financial Services with the Division of Risk Management acting as the carrier. Medical case management services are provided to injured or ill employees and their supervisors by OptaComp in partnership with the Division of Risk Management.

Requirement for an ill or injured employee:

An employee who becomes ill or is injured as the result of a work-related incident must report the incident to their supervisor immediately. USFSP wants the employee to receive proper care and treatment to minimize the seriousness of any injury or illness. Report any on-the-job injury to the supervisor, no matter how minor the injury may appear to be.

Requirements for the supervisor of an ill or injured employee:

When an employee reports a work-related injury or illness, take prompt action to:

1. Ensure the employee receives necessary medical attention. In case of emergency, call 911 or immediately send the employee to a hospital emergency room.
2. With the injured or ill employee, immediately call OptaComp at 1-877-518-2583 to report the work-related injury or illness so the employee can receive appropriate care. In case of emergency, call OptaComp as soon as practicable.
3. Complete the Accident Investigation Report for Supervisors and forward to Human Resources within 24 hours.
4. Take action to correct any safety hazards to prevent the same or similar injury or illness from occurring again.

For questions on how to report a work-related injury or illness or other workers' compensation issues refer to the links below.

How to Report a Work-Related Injury or Illness

Frequently Asked Questions about Workers’ Compensation

Supervisor’s Accident Investigation Report Form

Training on Workers Compensation