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October 2020
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Chief Executive Officer's Notes
Chris Reardon 
Upcoming Events
PCOC Virtual Golf Tournament Rules: 4-player teams & best ball on a 72-point course Entry Fee: $50/Golfer ($200/team) Date: Anytime October 1st – November 30th Sponsorship Opportunities: Virtual Hole Sponsor $75 To register: Fill out the registration form and email to SARAH@PCOC.ORG To pay: (Please click the link below) https://www.pcoconline.com/ pcoc-virtual-golf-tournament To record your score (No later than Nov 30th) or for questions please contact: Email: Sarah@pcoc.org or Call: (916) 572-0427 For sponsorship information please contact Adam Holt @ (916) 472-1440
CAPMA Monthly Insurance/Safety Tip
During the pandemic, insurance laws in many states are allowing employers to reclassify employees who normally work in higher rated workers comp classes as clerical or other lower classifications.
Workers compensation premiums are based mainly on the classifications that apply to a business’s workers. For example, office workers are classed with low rates; roofers with high rates. During the pandemic, however, many workers, including those in higher risk classifications with high rates, are not engaged in those activities. What should a business do? If you drop those workers from your workers compensation rolls completely, you won’t be providing any coverage. Remember in almost all states you still have an obligation to provide workers compensation benefits regardless of whether you as an employer carry workers compensation insurance. The degree of risk those employees face now may not be as great, but they can still incur injuries that require workers compensation. The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI), which acts on behalf of the workers compensation industry in 39 of the states, has made the following update to its Basic Manual rules to address the situation: “The temporary interruption or suspension of normal business activities caused by COVID-19 may qualify as a change in operations. For example, if an employer continues to pay its employees while they are working out of their homes (telecommuting) rather than an office, carriers may consider a change from the employer’s governing classification to Code 8810 — Clerical Office Employees NOC or Code 8871 — Clerical Telecommuter Employees, or other appropriate classifications based on the duties of the employees while normal business operations are interrupted or suspended. Once normal business operations resume, appropriate classifications should be applied.” 
Legislative Update
As we know, AB 1788 was signed into law in late September. This should not come as a surprise to anyone that has been paying attention. This bill addresses just the use of second generation anti-coagulant rodenticides in certain places (but not all locations where those products are currently used). First generation anti-coagulants and acute rodenticides are not restricted as part of the bill. PCOC will be speaking with DPR on the implementation of this bill and what enforcement would look like in the field. Understanding the differences and nuances of this bill is extremely important if you are planning on using any of these products. Please reach out to your distributor, supplier, or the association with any further questions. PCOC will be in touch with details as this situation progresses. The association is also in the process of developing resources so we can be more involved at a local level of regulators and the elected government. We are developing these resources to help the districts on how to reach out to these people, what to say, and how to interact with them (if you need a bit of guidance). Please look for more details on this in the near future.
Darren Van Steenwyk, M.S., BCE
Comings & Goings
It is up to the insurance commissioners in each state, however, to adopt these rules. As a result, insurance commissioners in states such as California, Indiana, and North Carolina have promulgated regulations that permit employers to temporarily change worker classifications in recognition of the lesser degree of risk of many of their employees. Some states, such as California, have gone further and indicated that losses from COVID-19 are not to be included in calculating experience modifications and other rating factors. A news release from the California Department of Insurance says: “This new regulation will also exclude claims related to a COVID-19 diagnosis from being included in future rate calculations so that employers are not penalized with higher rates due to COVID-19 claims. “Insurers will also be required to report injuries involving a diagnosis of COVID-19 which will allow the Commissioner’s statistical agent — the WCIRB [Workers Compensation Inspection Rating Bureau] — to keep track of COVID-19 injuries, and will aid in the WCIRB’s future analyses of the workplace and market impacts. “The new regulations will go into effect on July 1, 2020.” To further relieve employers of paying premiums on employees furloughed during the pandemic, some state insurance commissioners, such as California’s, have made additional changes. According to California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara: “These emergency regulations also exclude from premium calculations the payments made to an employee, including sick or family leave, while the employee is not performing duties of any kind for the employer. Typically, these payments would be used as a basis for the employer’s workers’ compensation premium. This change will lower the employer’s rate by reducing the amount of payroll assessed, and the employer will not pay premium for paid workers who are otherwise being furloughed.” Please contact your EPIC PCOC Insurance Program professionals at 877.860.7378. We are eager to help. Did You Know???
PCOC has a donation site
If you are interested in donating to any of the following, please visit www.pcoconline.com: PCOC Club 2020
PCOC is selling our new bumper stickers!
 They are $10 (plus tax and postage) each!! They measure 9.25" x 2.5" Please contact Sarah at sarah@pcoc.org to order yours today!! Donated by: Hernandez Sewing, Inc. and Mary Hernandez  New Members
Frequently Requested Information
Frequently Asked For WebsitesDepartment of Fish & Game Department of Food & Agriculture California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) DPR on Facebook DPR on YouTube (see "playlists" for videos pertaining to new surface water regulations) DPR on Twitter DPR LinkedIn Healthy Schools Act Structural Pest Control Board Find Your Legislator NPMA's QualityPro Accrediation Application 
One Thing in Web Marketing
In today’s competitive marketing landscape, pest control professionals cannot be picky when it comes to establishing lines of contact with interested customers. This is especially true given that many of them will not want to jump on a phone call with you, and they may not want to email either. Online prospects want something instant and convenient. What they want is Live Chat. If you are not sure about what Live Chat is, you may have already seen it on popular Websites. Live Chat integrations are typically found in the lower right corner of a page, with a little prompt that asks something like, “How can I help you today?” Live Chat has gained a lot of popularity over the years because, as the name implies, it’s a fast, instant way to connect with a business that offers a service you need. What sets good Live Chat features apart from the not-so-good ones lies in the behind the scenes. Some companies like to use automated chat integrations (meaning, customers speak to a robot), but this can turn your clients away. At the end of the day, people want to speak to other people – and not some bot with limited answering capabilities. Even the most advanced software can falter when prospects start asking questions particular to your pest management company, its services, and the programs you offer. The best Live Chat is one that is available at all hours of the day. Believe it or not, 43% of Live Chat messages come through after business hours. With the right service, you can continue to interact with these folks and transform them into leads that you can connect with the next morning. If your Live Chat isn’t able to take these inquiries, you can expect them to leave for a company that does have an active system ready. If you want to establish a new way of connecting with interested customers and get more leads at all hours of the day, Live Chat is right for you – as long as it is monitored by real-life human beings that can answer your company’s messages. You should aim to avoid using automated bots, because people want to talk to people. Some providers also include an SMS Text-to-Chat feature, in case a prospect would rather communicate by texting. Advanced options may even connect the Chat to Facebook and set up instant calls – so that conversations can go wherever the prospect wants. Any line of communication should be worth your time when it results in a lead for you. If you’re ready to step your pest control company’s game up and hear from more leads, consider a Live Chat solution today. Market Hardware has an affordable and highly customizable solution available. Contact us today if you’re interested in pricing or want more information! You can email PCOC@markethardware.com or call (888) 381-6925.
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