brim’s robert fisher provides balance to claims...

November 2005 Quotes, Notes & Anecdotes

w A Pictorial Lookat the FallFestival at theCapitol Grounds

w BRIM PromotesUse of LossControl Programto Agencies toReduce Claims

w Could You Be aVictim of IdentityTheft?

w November 17Marks the GreatAmericanSmokeout

w People Talk

Sneak PeekINSIDE...

Employee of the Month

BRIM's Robert Fisher Provides Balance to Claims Process

ROBERT FISHERNovember Employee

of the Month

ROBERT FISHER, thedeputy director and claimsmanager for the West VirginiaBoard of Risk and InsuranceManagement (BRIM), hasbeen selected as the depart-ment�s Employee of theMonth for November.

An eight-year employee ofstate government, Robertoversees the administration ofthe Claims Department andalso serves in a deputy role tothe executive director of BRIMin handling administrative

Fall Festival Celebrates the Dome's Completionand the Release of the West Virginia Quarter

Friday, October 14 was a memorable day for all of West Vir-ginia. ..a day that kicked off a fall festival celebrating the comple-tion of restoring the State Capitol dome and the release of thecommemorative West Virginia quarter. In his opening remarks, Gov. Joe Manchin III stated his sat-isfaction of the completed dome project, which was finishedover one year in advance of the contract schedule. �I believeCass Gilbert is smiling down from heaven right now as he looksat this beautiful dome...What a glorious day to be a West Vir-ginian. What a proud day to be a West Virginian.� A variety of activities began at 10 a.m. on the northside ofthe State Capitol with artisans from Tamarack demonstratingand selling their crafts. The Department of Agriculture coordi-nated with vendors of West Virginia-grown food to join in thecelebration. At noon, a ceremony began, with State TreasurerJohn Perdue serving as master of ceremonies. David Lebryk,

and personnel-related issues.Safety and risk reduction forstate and non-state entitiesare vital to reducing insur-ance claims.

According to one of Robert'sco-workers , �Not only doeshe work to reduce andprevent claims against thestate by educating stateemployees, he sees the side ofthose who have legitimateclaims. Balance makes Robertdo his job well.� Another co-worker added, "Robert's quick

Story Continues on Page 2; Event Photos on Page 3

Gov. Manchin and the FirstLady greet the crowd ofthousands during the FallFestival.

wit and ready smile makeshim a pleasure to workwith."

In his spare time, Robertis actively involved with hischildren's activities. Inaddition to spending timewith family and friends, heenjoys playing golf.

Please join Robert at aspecial ceremony in hishonor on Thursday, No-vember 3, at 11:45 a.m. onthe first floor of the CapitolRotunda.

��

��

��

Quotes, Notes & Anecdotes November 2005

FFFFFALL FESTIVALL FESTIVALL FESTIVALL FESTIVALL FESTIVALALALALALContinued from Page 1

APPLAUSE PLEASE....The key individuals on the dome project include:

Architect: Swanke Hayden Connell Architects (NYC):Rob Cole, Project Architect; Elizabeth Moss, Architec-tural Conservator.Structural Engineer: Carol Stevens, Alum Creek;General Contractor: Wiseman Construction Com-pany (Charleston) John Wiseman, President and MarkPack, Superintendent;Independent Inspection Company: KTA-Tator (Pitts-burgh) Dick Hanlon, Senior Project Manager and MarkHunt, Senior Inspector;Sheet Metal Subcontractor: Harris Brothers (Charles-ton), Marshall Holcomb;Painting Subcontractor: WQ Watters (Charleston),Bob Thaxton;Gilding Subcontractor: John Canning Studios (Con-necticut);Marble Subcontractor (eagle eyes): Davis MarbleCompany (Pennsboro), Rick and Steve Davis;General Services Division (Department of Admin-istration): Jim Burgess, Acting Director and FrankDrobot, Architect.

President Abraham Lin-coln and his wife MaryTodd joined the day's fes-tivities by reminding usof the inclusion of WestVirginia as the 35th stateof the Union.

Acting Director of the United States Mintparticipated in the presentation of the com-memorative quarter which was designedby West Virginia native Jamie Lester, fea-turing the new River Gorge Bridge. The George Washington High SchoolBand, the Appalachian Children�s Chorusand Alexandra Ayoob of Sacred HeartCatholic School performed music during

the ceremony.State agency representatives offered interactive booths, ex-

hibiting the programs and services they offer to state residents.Local civic organizations provided food for the crowd.

The festival also marked the beginning of a weekend of activi-ties within the state with Bridge Day on the New River Gorge thefollowing day. �This is a great day for West Virginia because notonly are we celebrating the completion of the magnificent StateCapitol dome, but we are introducing the State quarter as partof this fall festival,� said Governor Manchin.

School children throughout the state were encouraged to at-tend the day�s activities. After the ceremony ended, the childrenwere given a free West Virginia quarter, compliments of theUnited States Mint.

The West Virginia State Capitol was designed by Americanarchitect Cass Gilbert and was first officially dedicated on June20, 1932. The building is an extremely important cultural re-source and historic landmark of national and international sig-nificance. Mr. Gilbert was well known as the architect for theWoolworth Building in New York City, the state capitols of Ar-kansas and Minnesota and the Supreme Court Building in Wash-

ington, DC. The design ofWest Virginia�s capitol domeis based upon the dome ofthe Hotel National desInvalides in Paris France. Like des Invalides, the WestVirginia State Capitol domeoriginally was finished withgold leaf and an exposedlead-colored (gray) field. Thistwo-tone color scheme wasmaintained until 1988 whenthe dome was covered entirelywith gold leaf. The originalgold and gray (lead-colored)design was deliberate andcarefully thought out. Thetwo-tone scheme of the domeitself serves to create a transi-tion between the building�slimestone neutral color and

the gold-leafed lantern. It alsodraws the eye upward from thedome base to the lantern andallows the beautiful shieldsand medallions on the domebays to stand out against thegray field.

In February of 2005, Gov-ernor Manchin solicited inputfrom state residents on the ap-pearance of the dome: theoriginal Cass Gilbert two-tonedesign vs. all gold-leaf. Ofmore than 12,000 individu-als participating, 80% selectedthe original design.

The dome restoration projectconsisted of various steps:Phase 1: Removal of all oldcoatings; Phase 2: Replace-ment of rusted and damagedstructural steel; Phase 3: Cop-per cladding repairs; Phase 4:Painting of the gold dome;Phase 5: Dome re-gilding;and Phase 6: Removal of con-tainment and scaffolding.

A local bank made the WestVirginia quarter available forpurchase by individuals at theCapitol Complex during thatday. Approximately 5,000 in-dividuals participated in theevent.

Approximately5,000 peoplefilled the Capitolgrounds on Octo-ber 14 to cel-ebrate thecompletion of theCapitol dome andto witness the re-lease of the WestVirginia com-memorative quar-ter.


Quotes, Notes& Anecdotes

is publishedby the West Virginia

Department ofAdministration

Joe Manchin IIIGovernor

Robert W.Ferguson Jr.

Cabinet Secretary

Diane HolleyPublic Information

Officer/Editor

Special ThanksBetsy ChapmanDebbie HarrisonPhilip MorrisonMarilyn Padon

Kaye ParksSandy SingletonWally Schwartz

Fall Festival � A Pictorial Look at the Day's Event

Crowds stood in line toget the first release ofthe West Virginia quar-ter.

Children were able toget a free West Virginiaquarter during the fes-tivities.

Adults could pur-chase the WestVirginia quarterfrom a local bank.

Artisans from Tamarackdemonstrated their craft.

The U.S. Mint proudly releasedthe state quarter.

“...What a glorious dayto be a West Virginian.

What a proud day to be aWest Virginian.”

Gov. Joe Manchin III

West Virginia wasofficially declared"Open for Busi-ness" during theFall Festival.


The West Virginia Board ofRisk and Insurance Manage-ment (BRIM) provides generalliability, auto liability and prop-erty insurance coverage forapproximately 150 stateagencies as well as about1,300 quasi-agencies (suchas boards of education andcounty commissions), not-for-profit organizations and otherentities as authorized by theWest Virginia State Legisla-ture.

Dedicated to serving thepeople of the state, BRIMworks to provide the best in-surance product at the low-est possible cost. The premi-ums charged are calculatedto cover the cost of expectedclaims; therefore, the amountcharged to its customers inpremiums in any given yearis roughly equal to its pro-jected annual claims, plusadministrative costs. BRIM�soverhead and administrativecosts are typically about halfthose of commercial insur-ance companies.

Since premiums are directlytied to claims, logically thereis only one way for BRIM toreduce premiums�by reduc-ing claims. Reduction ofclaims may be realized bymaking use of risk manage-ment tools to control losses.

What is risk management?Risk management is a verystraight-forward and logicalundertaking. It is simply aplanned and coordinatedgroup of activities or steps di-rected at limiting the likeli-hood or severity of adverseconsequences related to youractivities.

In its most basic form, riskmanagement involves exam-ining the activities your par-ticular entity is engaged in,identifying the exposures (thepotential negative outcomesor consequences), and devel-oping and implementingstrategies to limit negativeoutcomes.

Typical risk managementstrategies are paying for un-desirable outcomes. When anentity continues to perform anactivity or provide a service, itis essential that all reasonablesteps are taken to either limitthe likelihood of a negativeoccurrence, such as an injuryor claim, or to at least limit theconsequences of the event.

Specific loss control pro-grams may be written policiesfor surveying your facility foruncontrolled hazards, prepar-ing programs and policiesthat address the potential foremployment claims, or train-ing drivers on defensive driv-ing techniques.

BRIM is pleased to assist itscustomers in reducing claimsby implementing risk man-agement initiatives. Some ofthe services it offers are as fol-lows:1. Identify customers whoappear to have preventableclaims. Schedule one-on-one visits to review their claimhistory and work to developeffective loss control pro-grams.2. Provide training, when nec-essary, to assist individual cus-tomers gain expertise in tech-nical areas, such as perform-ing root-cause analysis of ac-cidents.

3. Cooperate in numerousoutreach efforts, such as pub-lic presentations and meet-ings, to deliver its message.4. Have specialists in the par-ticular field evaluate custom-ers for uncontrolled generalliability and property expo-sures.

Most recently, BRIM devel-oped a new, ground-break-ing initiative called the Stan-dards of Participation Pro-gram. This initiative is an ef-fort to encourage its custom-ers to do the work necessaryto develop and implement acredible risk managementprogram that addresseseach of their coverage.

In addition, the program isstructured so the customerswho comply may be entitledto a discount in their premi-ums. Adversely, customerswithout a credible risk man-agement program, and thuswho control to have uncon-trolled exposures, will be sub-ject to a potential premiumsurcharge.

BRIM officials state that ifeach customer does their partin developing and implement-ing into practice appropriateloss control recommenda-tions, premiums for all cus-tomers will inevitably reduce.

By monitoring loss controlinitiatives throughout thestate, BRIM continues to pro-vide all of its customers withthe very best insurance cov-erage at the lowest possibleprice. The key to this processis educating the entities onways to reduce claimsthrough loss control assis-tance.

Less Claims Yield Reduced Premiums

BRIM Promotes the Use of Loss ControlProgram to Agencies to Reduce Claims

TechnologyLearning Center

EVENTSEVENTSEVENTSEVENTSEVENTSThe Technology

Learning Center re-cently announcednew classes offered:GroupWise 6.5Provides overview ofnew features, such asthe checklist folder,personalized mail,address books andquick filtering.Microsoft PublisherLevel 1Offers basic skills indesktop publishingusing a publicationwizard and a designset wizard.Crystal 10 Level 2Provides an under-standing of table re-lationships and link-ing, function formu-las, conditional re-porting, and param-eter queries.Classroom instruc-tor-led classes andonline anytime class-es (I-Learning) areavailable. For otherclasses, contact theOffice of Technologyat 558-6384.


According to the FederalTrade Commission (FTC),nearly 10 million people fellvictim to identity theft last year.For this reason, the Prosecut-ing Attorney�s Institute hasadded a new link to theirwebsite.

�What we�ve done is putinformation on our website toinform the public about iden-tity theft,� said Philip Morri-son, Executive Director of theInstitute. �We also put contactnumbers online for peoplewho wish to take advantageof services that can help pro-tect them.�

Identity theft occurs when aperson uses your name, So-cial Security number, creditcard number or some otherpiece of your personal infor-mation to apply for a creditcard, make unauthorized pur-chases, gain access to yourbank accounts or obtain loansunder your name. Some typesof identity theft consist of:

Social Security NumberYour Social Security number

is the most valuable piece ofyour personal financial infor-mation because it is your pri-mary identifying number foremployment, tax reporting,and credit history tracking pur-poses. If your Social Securitynumber falls in the hands ofa thief, you could face seriousproblems as a result. A thiefcould use your Social Secu-rity number to obtain employ-ment, open credit card ac-counts or obtain loans underyour name. The best way toprotect yourself is to guardyour Social Security number,sharing it only when neces-sary.

Prosecuting Attorneys Institute's Website AssistsPublic in Preventing Identity Theft

What do you do ifyou think your iden-tity has been stolen?

Some businesses request your Social Securitynumber for general record keeping. If they do,ask how your Social Security number will be usedand whether you can use any other identifyingnumber instead.

Credit CardsThere are numerous ways in which an identity thief can

make unauthorized charges on your existing credit card ac-counts, or open up new accounts under your name. Anordinary thief might steal your wallet or purse and try to makeuse of your stolen cards and checks. The more sophisticatedthief can fill out a change of address form from the postoffice to get all your bills sent to another address. He can alsocall your credit card issuer and, pretending to be you, changethe mailing address on your credit accounts. The impostormay then begin making charges on your account. Sinceyour bills are being sent to a new address, you may not im-mediately realize the problem. The thief may also open newaccounts under your name by stealing and completing a pre-approved credit card offer sent to you in the mail, using yourname, date of birth and Social Security number, but a differ-ent address, on the application form. If this occurs, you maynot discover that a new account has been opened underyour name until the unpaid bills appear on your credit report.

Be cautious!...Identity thieves can also obtain your creditcard information from purchases you make at stores, overthe telephone or online.

Check FraudIdentity thieves can drain your checking account by steal-

ing your checks or your checking account number from yourhome or office, forging your signature or by making counter-feit checks in your name using a home computer. Somethieves even use cleaning solvent to remove what is alreadywritten on a check, making it payable to themselves.

Be aware that identity thieves can also open checking ac-counts in your name using personal information such as yourSocial Security number. When they write bad checks on thataccount, those debts appear on your credit report.

Cellular Telephone ServiceIdentity thieves can establish new cellular telephone service

in your name or make unauthorized calls that seem to comefrom, and are billed to, your cellular phone. Others makeunauthorized charges by using your calling card and PIN. Ifthis occurs, contact your service provider to close your exist-ing account, and establish another one with a new PIN.

The key is to be aware and cautious of identity theft preda-tors who may be waiting to target you as a victim. If youbelieve that your identity may have been stolen, look for thetips to the right.

� Contact the fraud de-partments of one of thefollowing major creditbureau to place a fraudalert on your credit file:Equifax (800) 525-6285;Experian (800) 972-0322; or Trans Union(800) 888-4213. Thisalert requests creditors tocontact you before open-ing any new accounts ormaking any changes toexisting accounts. Oncethe credit bureau confirmsyour fraud alert, the otherbureaus will be automati-cally notified and all threecredit reports will be sentto you free of charge.� Close the acounts thatyou believe have beentampered with or openedfraudulently. Use the IDTheft Affidavit when dis-puting new unauthorizedaccounts.� File a police report andsubmit a copy to creditorsand others that may re-quire proof of the crime.� File your complaint withthe FTC, which maintainsa data base of identitycases used by law en-forcement agencies forinvestigations. Filing acomplaint also helps theFTC learn more aboutidentity theft and the prob-lems victims have so theymay better assist you.

Visit the Prosecuting At-torneys Institute�s websiteat wwwwwwwwwwwwwww.wvpai.org/.wvpai.org/.wvpai.org/.wvpai.org/.wvpai.org/identityidentityidentityidentityidentity.htm.htm.htm.htm.htm for details.


1 Joyce Christenson ........... PersonnelSteve McCloud ...................... IS&CYvonne McCormick ........ Personnel

2 Wally Schwartz ..................... BRIM

3 Beverly Fox ..................... PersonnelMichael Harmon ................... PEIARichard Honaker ................... IS&CAnna Jarrett-Jones ......... Personnel

4 David Adkins ........................ IS&C

5 Paula Lowe ...................... Finance

6 Kathy Moore .......................... IS&CNancy Sturm ......................... IS&C

9 Diane Connelly ..................... PEIAMelissa Hapney ..................... PEIARicky Morris ................. Gen. Srvcs.

10 Karen Adkins .................... FinanceTierra Gable ................... PersonnelRandy Hughes ............. Purchasing

11 Bill Judy ................................ IS&C

14 Marvin Crawford ................... IS&C

16 Jennifer McCarty ................... IS&C

17 Rob Ferguson ............... Sec. OfficeBrian Ooten ................. IS&C

17 Debra Pendleberry ........ IS&CBill Ward ..................... IS&C

18 Sarah Tignor .......... AviationLisa Worlledge ........ Finance

19 Frank Chambers .... PersonnelLaura Johnson ............. IS&CCharles Schmidt ........... IS&C

20 Charles Bradley .......... IS&CKaren Byrd ......... Purchasing

21 Carol Jarrett ...... PurchasingMark Sizer ................... PEIAWaltt Vest ............... Finance

22 Chuck Mozingo ......... BRIM

24 Susan Lowe ............ FinanceCarleen Wilkerson Personnel

25 Bill Faber .................... IS&CCharles Hager .... Gen. Srvcs.

26 Barbara Bowe ........ Personnel

28 Chris Branham ........ Finance

29 Robin Rose ................... PEIA

30 Diane Gibson ....... PersonnelStan Moss ................... IS&C

HAPPY BIRTHDAY...in November

AD

MIN

IST

RA

TIV

E N

OT

ES

Welcome!...to the employees who recently joined our department:Kathy Moore, Jim Richards, Jennifer McCarty, Cynthia Smith (Of-fice of Technology), Kevin Lawhon (Personnel, Andrew Guz (GeneralServices), Diane Hudnall (Finance), and Rebecca Romans and JamesKeleman (PEIA).

Congratulations...to Mary Bonham and Hilda Gravely, both ofCPRB, who recently retired from state government.Best Wishes...to the following employees who recently resignedfrom the department: Heather Connolly (Secretary's Office), AmyLangenbrunner (CPRB), and Stephanie King (IS&C).Capitol Flu Vaccine Clinics...The Kanawha-Charleston HealthDepartment will conduct flu vaccine clinics at the Capitol Com-plex on November 15 in Buildings 1 and 4 and November 16 inBuildings 3 and 5 (rooms have not yet been determined). The costof the injection is based on a sliding scale according to income. Tospeed the process, participants who can do so are asked to pho-tocopy the front and back of their insurance cards for processing.The pneumonia vaccine also will be available.Pathways to Wellness Health Screening...A free health screen-ing has been scheduled on November 17 from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.in Building 17 (first floor conference room). If interested, pleasecontact Leasing's Shelia Gray at 558-4635 or e-mail [email protected].

PEOPLE TALK

Here Comes the Bride...Personnel's Ada Lewis and her fianceRoger Kennedy will be married at 3 p.m. on November 12 at St.Andrews United Methodist Church in St. Albans. She welcomesall of her coworkers and friends in the Department of Administra-tion to her joyous occasion.

November 17The Great AmericanSmokeout isa Good Start

More than two-thirds of all smokerssay they would like to quit. Manysucceed each year, but others ei-ther fail or don't even try.

The Great American Smokeoutattracts millions of smokers whoare quitting for a day. Here's how itworks:

You quit smoking for the 24 hoursof November 17. Even if you can'tquit forever, doing it for just one dayshows that it can be done. Your 24-hour effort will teach you a few tac-tics that will help you to quit the nexttime you try it.

Cigarettes and cigarette smokecontain more than 4,000 chemi-cals, including 43 known to causecancer. Many are added duringfarming and cigarette production.

It's not the nicotine that is dan-gerous, but it is very addictive. Evenafter you quit, you will have the urgeto smoke. To stay smoke-free, youneed a plan.

One plan can be to participatein the Public Employees Insur-ance Agency's QUITLINE.YNOTQUIT is a tobacco cessationprogram that provides one on onepersonal help for all West Virginiaresidents and PEIA members to quittobacco. For more details, visithttp://www.ynotquit.com.

Smoking's effect on health is di-sastrous. About half of all smokerswill die because of the habit, some435,000 every year. According tothe West Virginia Bureau for PublicHealth, 27.4% of adults in West Vir-ginia smoke. The average annualdeath rate in West Virginia relatedto smoking is approximately4,229.

About one in every five Americandeaths is related to smoking. So,what are YOU waiting for? OnNovember 17, take this small step.

brim’s robert fisher provides balance to claims...

Documents