2017 annual report

Since 1914, we've been taking care of injured workers, helping them get back to work, and striving to make Oregon the safest and healthiest place to work. By reducing workplace injuries and maintaining low premiums for employers, we’ve solidified our position as the leading workers’ compensation carrier in Oregon.

Safer workplaces

Providing safety expertise

We have nearly 70 safety and health experts who work with SAIF policyholders to create safer and healthier work places. In 2017, this team provided more than 6,400 onsite, in-person safety and health consultations, in addition to providing phone consultations, online trainings, videos, and other resources.

Continuing our commitment to Total Worker Health

Our commitment to Total Worker Health remains a top priority. Total Worker Health reflects the philosophy that people’s jobs can impact their overall health, and their lives outside of work can impact their safety on the job. We continue to train SAIF employees to educate our policyholders on the link between employee well-being and workplace safety. In 2017, we signed the first-ever alliance on Total Worker Health with Oregon OSHA and the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences at OHSU. This alliance will provide training and research to improve worker safety and health.

Safer workers

Making timely claims decisions

Oregon law says we have 60 days to accept or deny a claim once we have received notice of a workplace injury. But at SAIF, we make that initial decision within 31 days—much sooner than our competitors.

Paying injured workers on time

The state requires insurance providers pay the first wage replacement check to workers quickly and accurately. 92.9 percent of the time, we made that payment within 14 days

Helping workers get back to work

Our goal is to get injured workers on temporary total disability back to work within 60 days of their first wage replacement payment. In 2017, we did that 85 percent of the time, exceeding our goal and the performance of our competitors.

Stronger businesses

Reducing pure premium rates

SAIF proudly serves more than half of Oregon’s workers’ comp market. Our strong results in claims management, return-to-work, and safety and wellness are a significant factor in driving down Oregon’s overall pure premium rates. As the market leader, SAIF’s impact on pure premium rate reductions far outweighs any of our competitors.

Paying dividends to policyholders—again

The SAIF board of directors declared two dividends for our 47,000 customers in 2017: a $120 million primary dividend to all eligible policyholders based on their premium, and an additional $40 million safety performance dividend based on each policyholder’s safety results. This is the second year in a row that SAIF has provided the safety performance dividend to businesses that have achieved positive results in keeping workers safe.

Retaining our customers

99.4 percent of our policyholders chose to renew with us in 2017, making this the eighth year in a row that our retention rate has been above 99 percent.

Serving businesses in the Assigned Risk Pool

We are committed to serving and providing inexpensive insurance to employers across Oregon, including those in the Assigned Risk Pool. By offering services that help improve safety and other factors, we help businesses lower their rates and potentially move from the ARP to our regular book of business.

Auditing medical bills to save money

In 2017, we audited nearly 563,000 medical bills and secured more than $157 million in savings.

2017 financials

We completed important project work in 2017, including the ongoing renovation of our main campus and continued improvements to our technology systems. These projects will propel us forward in our mission to serve Oregon workers and employers.

Along with all the services and programs we provided our customers in 2017, we are also proud of another year of strong fiscal management and financial stability.

Please review the documents below and get in touch if you have any questions.

Other years: