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December 2021
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Chief Executive Officer's Notes
We just completed our annual Palm Springs Board of Directors Meeting and wanted to thank all of those that attended on December 9th and 10th. Wanted to especially thank all our sponsors at both our golf tournament and the Board of Directors Meeting and Reception. It was a great turnout, and much was accomplished over the two days particularly the approval of a grassroots communication campaign aimed at educating our local officials on who we are and what we do.
We also celebrated Michael Katz as the 2020 Harvey Logan Lifetime Achievement Board winner and it was wonderful to acknowledge his significant career and what he accomplished as a leader for PCOC. It’s people like Michael that have made PCOC what it is today. Finally, want to wish all of you a happy and safe holiday season and look forward to seeing you next year.
Chris Reardon 
Upcoming Events
(un)Leashed Leadership Program — STARTING January 2022!!Sign up today! Click here for the Progam information registration form. PestEd Series
CLICK HERE to access the Southern California Attendee Registration From
CLICK HERE to access the Northern California Attendee Registration Form INTERSTED IN EXHIBITING? Click here to access the Exhibitor Registration Form. Termite Academy Dates TBD March 7-9, 2022 2022 Expo 2022 June 8-10, 2022
Affiliate Corner
CAPMA Monthly Insurance/Safety Tip
Updates on "Long Haul COVID" Claims
According to some organizations, as many as 80% of COVID-19 patients will experience one or more long-term, persistent symptoms. The clinicians at Emory Executive Park post-COVID clinic in Atlanta say one of the most common persistent symptoms of people who have recovered from COVID-19 is shortness of breath, which may suggest diminished lung function, although other causes such as pulmonary embolism, even after acute illness, may be contributing. Thanushi Wynn, MD has been caring for post-COVID follow-up patients from Emory Johns Creek Hospital and Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital. Wynn notes that some patients may be able to prevent chronic lung damage with timely treatment by an experienced pulmonologist. However, the symptoms some COVID-19 survivors have been reporting extend beyond the pulmonary realm, indicating that viral infection has inflicted injury on other systems of the body. They include chest pain upon exertion, irregular heartbeats (cardiac arrhythmias), and dizziness or a racing heart when someone stands up after lying down (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome). In addition, a number of post-COVID patients are reporting loss of smell or taste, altered sensations in their limbs, chronic pain and/or brain fog (problems with memory, concentration or word-finding). At Least $260 Million in 2020 COVID-19 Comp Cases In 2020, there were more than 45,000 COVID-19 claims, with more than 95% costing less than $10,000, according to Jeff Eddinger, senior division executive for the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI). Most of the claims closed quickly, and only about 1% surpassed $100,000. The total cost of 2020 claims in the 36 states where NCCI provides its services was $260 million, not including self-insureds. Government Issues COVID-19 Disability and Accommodation Guidance The Department of Justice (DOJ) and Health and Human Services (HHS) have jointly issued guidance on COVID-19 disabilities. The guidance points out that while some people with mild or moderate COVID-19 can have symptoms that last about two weeks, others — long haulers — can be left with debilitating side effects, acknowledges the HHS. Examples of situations where a COVID-19 long-hauler might be substantially limited in a major life activity would include, according to the DOJ and HHS:
Regardless of whether employees with these symptoms are covered for workers compensation, they may also qualify for assistance under the ADA, though an individualized assessment is necessary. In addition, employees who recover quickly from the disease and are not covered by the ADA may be covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The FMLA provides certain employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year. It also requires that the employee be allowed to keep their group health benefits during the leave. Accommodations Reasonable requests for accommodating a disability can include:
Whatever the accommodation, the employer does not have to provide any accommodation that creates an undue hardship on the business. For instance, employers are not required to lower quality or production standards as an accommodation; nor are they obligated to provide personal use items such as wheelchairs, prescription glasses or hearing aids. For more information and help, please contact the EPIC Insurance professionals of the PCOC Insurance Program. Call us at: 877.860.7378. The ProPest Insurance Authority: “Focused on You.”
Paul Lindsay 
Legislative Update
Even when we thought things were not going to go anywhere, they do. AB 1346 (Berman) Air Pollution: small off road engines begins the phase out of small engines in this state. Now this should not come as a surprise to anyone that this is occurring, but we did not expect it to happen like this. The author slid it through without much input from the industry (well, any industry that uses small engines including landscapers). This resulted in a bill that is confusing and that may be unfeasible. However, it’s something that we may have to live with. The targets of this bill are small engines used for items like leaf blowers, lawn mowers, small engines used in our termite control rigs, and other pieces of application equipment that use gas powered engines (i.e. backpack mist blowers). The time frame for this bill is essentially to impact engines sold after 2024 so we have some time but that also means that we should begin to look at alternatives if you haven’t already. Darren Van Steenwyk, M.S., BCE
Frequently Requested Information
Frequently Asked For Websites
One Thing in Web Marketing
3 Quick-Fix Tips to Improve Your Website TodayAs technology grows each day and industry design trends fluctuate, the opportunity to improve your Website is always there. To help narrow down where you should be placing your attention, focus on these key items: Trim the Fat from Your HomepageA bounce rate is the percentage of visitors that leave or “bounce” from your site after viewing one page. Keeping that bounce rate in mind, many companies are often guilty of overloading their homepages with their mission, services, and specials. Long paragraphs of essay-style text can overwhelm Website visitors, prompting them to visit another Pest Control site. The average attention span of someone online averages 6-8 seconds. At a glance, does your homepage clearly indicate what your company does, how to contact you, and why you are the trusted experts in your service area? Ask someone who isn’t familiar with your Website to try this. If they are having trouble answering the above questions, review your content for ways to refine your message. Highlight the Next StepYou can certainly capture the attention of your site’s visitors with photos of your work, details of your offerings, and lots of good reviews. But this won’t mean much if they aren’t aware of the next step to hiring your pest control services. Do you do business over the phone? Is there an online booking system they need to use to schedule an appointment? Should they identify the type of insect or rodent they are having problems with? Ask yourself these questions and update your site accordingly. Businesses that do most of their scheduling over the phone should have a “Call Now” button on most of their pages and their phone number in the header, which will appear no matter the page one is on. Callouts, otherwise known as a Call to Action, eliminate uncertainty for your prospects and help to guide them to becoming a paying customer. Keep Things UpdatedKeeping your content fresh and updated – even in small ways – can be an excellent strategy for your site’s appeal to prospects AND to Google. This can be adding new testimonials to your Reviews page, adding information on the new type of solution you have for rodent problems, or updating content across the site seasonally. Pests in California tend to be more active during certain times of the year. By adding a blogpost, for example, about the increase in cockroaches being found around the home due to the hotter weather, Google will take notice. One tip is to update your content based on the current pest trends happening in your area. By placing current information on your Website, Google will identify it has relevant during a user’s search into that pest. No matter how small the change, you are letting Google know that your site is up-to-date and is representative of your business today. Take some time today to look at your pest control Website and identify the areas for growth. When you take your Website seriously, search engines and prospects do the same. If you need any help in taking your Website to the next level, contact Market Hardware, and we’d be happy to discuss the layout of your site.
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