Benefit Specialist, Sr LOA & WC

Position: Benefit Specialist, Sr. - LOA & WC
** Worker Type
** Regular
* * Job Description
**** Summary
* * The People & Culture Sr. Benefits Specialist supports the employee experience by serving as the subject matter expert while providing an expert level of customer service, support, and project management in all areas of Leave of Absence and Workers’ Compensation. The Sr. Benefits Specialist is accountable for administering and coordinating all employee leaves and occupational injury programs in compliance with federal, state, and local regulations, as well as company policies.

This role ensures timely case management, accurate documentation, and consistent communication with employees, managers, third-party administrators (TPAs), healthcare providers, and internal HR partners.

The specialist serves as the primary point of contact for employees taking medical leave, parental leave, disability leave, or job-protected leave, and for employees experiencing workplace injuries. This position plays a critical role in safeguarding the organization’s compliance obligations, supporting employee well-being, and minimizing risk through accurate and efficient administration.
** Position Responsibilities
** Leave of Absence Administration (FMLA, ADA, State Programs, Company Leaves)
* Serve as subject matter expert (SME) for all leave-of-absence programs, including FMLA, state family/medical leave, paid family leave (PFL), employer-sponsored leaves, personal leaves, military leave, jury duty, and school activities leave.
* Oversee end-to-end LOA processes—including intake, eligibility determination, certification requests, approvals/denials, extensions, recertifications, and return-to-work clearances into Absence Pro.
* Monitor medical certifications and documentation for completeness and compliance; confirm Absence Pro requests clarifications from healthcare providers when necessary.
* Maintain strict adherence to HIPAA and confidentiality guidelines when handling medical information.
* Communicate leave rights, responsibilities, timelines, and pay options (disability, state programs, PTO integration) to employees.
* Partner closely with Payroll to ensure proper pay coding, disability payments, offsets, and adjustments during leave periods.
* Track intermittent leave usage, monitor exhaustion of entitlements, and ensure accurate reporting through Absence Pro.
* Coordinate ADA interactive process meetings in partnership with HR Business Partners, including documentation, reasonable accommodation requests, and medical updates.
* Serve as the liaison between employees, managers, HR, and third-party administrators to ensure smooth case progression.
* Provide guidance to managers on employee work restrictions, return-to-work timelines, and required documentation.
* Educate employees on leave types, the interaction between state/federal laws and company policies, available benefits, and their obligations during leave.
* Coordination of disability benefits.
* Create and document the leave process to ensure it’s in compliance and supports a growing organization.

Workers’ Compensation Administration
* Administer workers’ compensation claims from initial incident through closure, ensuring compliance with state WC laws and company policies.
* Coordinate immediate response to workplace injuries, including triage steps, directing employees to approved medical facilities, and ensuring timely completion of incident reports.
* Submit first reports of injury (FROI) to carriers or TPAs within mandated time frames.
* Track all WC claims—medical-only and lost-time—and monitor ongoing treatment, restrictions, and follow-up visits through Absence Pro.
* Communicate claim status updates to employees, managers, and HR leaders.
* Coordinate return-to-work or transitional/light-duty assignments, ensuring alignment with medical restrictions found on Absence Pro.
* Review medical bills, wage statements, and carrier correspondence for accuracy; escalate discrepancies as needed.
* Partner with Employee Health & Safety teams to identify injury trends and recommend corrective actions or safety training.
* Support OSHA reporting requirements by providing WC incident data and documentation to EHS.
* Assist…