Work Place Injuries

Student Interns

Reporting Workplace Injuries and Workers' Compensation for Student Interns

Insurance Coverage

Winthrop University in conjunction with State Accident Fund (SAF) provides workers' compensation insurance coverage for students internship courses in which they work for public or private agencies. Coverage is provided for all students as long as they are not paid as an employee by the company that provides the internship position.  Insurance coverage is administered by the SAF with medical case management provided by Compendium Services, Inc., through a contractual agreement with SAF. Workers' compensation claims are filed electronically by Compendium Services in response to the telephone submission of a "First Report of Injury" from the student intern's supervisor.

When an injury or illness is determined by SAF to be work-related, the student intern's medical expenses including prescription drugs and mileage for doctor's visits in excess of 10 miles per round-trip may be paid.

Questions regarding the workers' compensation plan or reporting procedures should be directed to Katharyne Tedford, Workers' Compensation Administrator, at 803/323-2392 or tedfordk@winthrop.edu.

Reporting Minor Injuries or Work-Related Illnesses:

1. Should any non-paid student intern sustain a minor injury or develop a work-related illness while performing their internship duties, they must immediately report the injury or illness to their internship supervisor.
   
   
2. Should medical treatment be needed for the injury or illness, the supervisor must contact Katharyne Tedford at 803/323-2392 or call Compendium Services directly at 877/709-2667 to file the "First Report of Injury" and receive authorization for treatment.  All non-emergency medical treatment must be pre-approved by Compendium Services. 
   
   In Rock Hill, non-emergency medical treatment is provided by:
   
   Concentra Urgent Care
   1393 Celanese Road
   Rock Hill, SC  29732
   803/3229-3103
   
   In internship locations other than Rock Hill, Compendium Services will provide the name(s) and location(s) for an authorized medical treatment facility.
   
   
3. If the supervisor contacts Compendium Services directly, they also must notify Katharyne Tedford of the injury or illness claim.

Student interns should report all injuries and work-related illnesses to their supervisor, no matter how minor they may seem at the time. An intern who fails to report an injury or work-related illness may risk being denied benefits by SAF should medical treatment be needed at a later time.

Medical Emergencies

In the event of a serious or life-threatening injury that requires immediate or emergency medical attention, call 911 or the appropriate emergency response service for the internship location.

1. Compendium Services and Katharyne Tedford must be contacted as soon as the situation allows.
2. If an injured intern is transported to an emergency medical facility for treatment, the supervisor or a designated representative should accompany the intern and remain at the facility until the intern is either admitted or released.
3. The supervisor or designated representative should inform the treating facility that a workers' compensation claim may be filed for the injured intern and be prepared to provide the following insurance information, if needed:

For treatment authorization and case management:

Compendium Services, Inc.
Phone: 877/709-2667
Fax: 877/710-2667

For billing and payment information:

State Accident Fund
P.O. Box 102100
Columbia, SC 29221-5000
Phone: 800/521-6576

For verification of employment and insurance coverage:

Winthrop University       
Environmental Health and Safety                          
Katharyne Tedford
Phone: 803/323-2392
Cell: 803/207-1052
Fax: 803/323-2426
tedfordk@winthrop.edu.