Claimant Relations
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Claim Filing
Can I choose both the Expedited Review Claim and Individual Review Claim processes?
No, you may only choose one claim process type on the Proof of Claim form.
Do I need an attorney to file my claim so I can be paid?
No. Any individual with a valid asbestos-related injury can file a claim. The Trust cannot provide guidance on whether you should obtain an attorney or file on your own.
What happens to a claim that has an Administrative Hold?
The claim cannot be processed until the Administrative Hold is removed by the Trust. You may contact the Trust for more information about why your claim was placed on Administrative Hold.
Can I file a claim electronically?
A claimant may file online using the B&W website. To file a claim online, the user must register with the Trust by executing the Electronic Filer Agreement.
What materials are needed to file a claim?
In addition to a completed Claim Form, medical and exposure documentation supporting the alleged injury is required.
How do I file a claim?
A claimant must submit the appropriate, fully completed Claim Form, including all supporting information referenced in the form. You may request a claim package from the Trust by calling Claimant Relations at (800) 708-8925 or download and print the claim forms from the Resources Page. You must complete the Proof of Claim form, choose the applicable claim process and send it to the Trust’s mailing address.
What are my options when filing with the Trust?
You must choose between two types of claim filing processes: Expedited or Individual Review.Complete your choice of claim process on the Proof of Claim form, attach all required exposure and medical documentation, and return it to the Trust. A claimant must submit the appropriate, fully completed Claim Form, including all supporting information referenced in the form. A claimant may file online using the B&W Asbestos PI Trust website. Individuals wishing to file online may download the Electronic Filer Agreement from the website. Any claim filing, whether electronic or on paper, that is not complete or is missing any of the required information will not be processed until it is completed by the claimant.
How do I register for an online account?
To access Trust Online, the user need only register with the Trust by executing the appropriate Electronic Filer Agreement, which governs the terms of the user’s access. Once this Agreement is available, the Trust will post instructions for completing the Electronic Filer Agreement on the Resources Page.
Deficiencies
How long does it take to review my response to a deficiency after it is received by the Trust?
After the Trust receives your response, it is processed in a First In First Out (FIFO) order, similar to when your claim was first received.
When I am supplementing claim information or responding to a deficiency, do I need to resubmit the claim form?
No, please send only the additional information/documentation and include the injured party’s name and last four digits of the Social Security number.
How do I respond to a claim deficiency?
You may send your deficiency response to the Trust’s mailing address or you may log into Trust Online and update the claim form usng our enhanced Deficiency Response Process. For more information on this process click here.
After responding to a deficiency, could the claim receive a subsequent deficiency?
Deficiencies are placed on a claim based upon the information available at the time of review. As there are multiple ways a deficiency may be resolved, all potential deficiencies that may apply to a claim cannot be identified until there is a response to the initial deficiency. For example, if a claim is deficient due to multiple overlapping sites, the response may resolve the initial overlapping exposure deficiency, but the site(s) may not give sufficient qualifying time or provide details on how the claimant was exposed based on the claimant’s industry/occupation pairing, and therefore, the claim may cure an initial deficiency, but with the new information, may be subject to an additional deficiency.
Deferral
Is there a deadline when I must activate the deferred claim?
The Trust currently allows claims to be deferred for a period not to exceed three years without affecting the status of the claim for statute of limitations purposes, in which case the claimant shall also retain his or her original place in the FIFO Processing Queue.
How do I activate a previously deferred claim?
You must notify the Trust in writing that you no longer want the claim deferred and forward any supporting documentation for the claim. The claim will be processed based on the initial date of receipt according to the Asbestos Personal Injury Settlement Trust Distribution Procedures. If you are a Trust Online user, you can un-defer a claim by clicking the Undefer Claim button found on the claim’s General tab.
What does it mean to defer a claim?
An option to file a claim, but to put on hold and not be processed at that time.
How do I defer a claim?
Claims can be deferred by written notification of the claimant’s name and Social Security number and an expression of the claimant’s intent to defer the claim. Trust Online users can also defer individual claims by clicking the Defer button on the claim’s general page.
Other Claim Related Questions
Claim Edits
How can I find all the claims that are currently stuck in the edit mode by users in the firm?
To find a listing of claims that are currently being edited by users in the firm, log into Trust Online and proceed to the Reports page. Click on the Claims Under Edit report and select the Trust from the drop-down. Select one or more attorneys from the Attorney’s list box and enter in the minimum number of days in which the claim may be in the edit mode and click the Export CSV button. For example, to see claims that have been in the edit mode for at least 30 days, you would enter 30 in the Days Under Edit Field. This will include all claims that are currently in the edit mode for 30 days or longer.
A claim is currently being edited by a firm user that no longer works at the firm. How can I remove this person from the claim edit mode?
The firm super user will have to login and proceed to the User Accounts page. Click the Search button to find all the users in the firm. Next, click on the Name of the user in the red font and once in their Profile page change the password, confirm the new password and check the Enabled box to re-enable the user. Login with the username and new password, find the claim in the Claim Search page and proceed to the finish page and click the Cancel button. This will remove this user from the edit mode.
Bulk Upload
After reviewing the tutorials and setting up the proper framework in order to utilize the bulk upload tool, I can’t seem to find it on the website. How do I go about downloading the bulk upload tool?
For security purposes, the facility has deemed it necessary to not allow public access to the bulk upload tool. You would need to contact the facility’s Websupport department and we will send you the zip file in an encrypted email.
When converting a claim using the Bulk Upload Conversion, are the InjuryId and Injurydate fields required to be filled in?
No, these fields are not required fields unless you are submitting a claim with a progressive injury. This means that if you are converting a non-malignant claim and wanted to file the newly converted claim as a malignant claim, then you would have to complete these fields with the new InjuryId and Injurydate.
In the document template, will the field “documentId” populate automatically? Or is this something we must provide?
The field labeled “documentId” is an AutoNumber field and the tool will automatically update this field according to the number of records added.
We have received an error message stating “Requested value ‘Item [##]’ was not found” during the new claims upload. How can I correct this?
This message generally occurs when the user is using an older version of the Bulk Upload web service references (schema). In order to resolve, complete the following steps:
i. Start the bulk upload program.
ii. Click the Help link.
iii. Click Update References.
iv. Quit and restart the bulk upload program.
v. Retry the uploading the new claims template.
I uploaded a number of claims with the incorrect document type for each claim. Can the document type be corrected using the Bulk Upload tool?
No, once the bulk upload tool has uploaded the documents in question, there isn’t a way to correct the document type in mass. They would have to be edited on Trust Online individually.
I’m looking to utilize the Bulk Upload Tool to submit claims to Trust Online. Is there any other options to submit claim data in bulk other than using an Access database?
The Web Service option is also available for firms that which to submit new claims, edit claims, submit supporting documents in mass using the firm’s own programmable interface developed by third party software developers. For Trust Online Web Service documentation, please contact web support.
I’m using the bulk upload tool to add the firm file number and it will be the only field that I would be adding. If I upload my edits with the new firm file number, will this affect any claims that are in the Offer Issued or Paid statuses?
No, only the Offer Issued claims can be edited using the bulk upload tool and these will not be affected. The system does not allow for claims in the Paid statuses to be edited.
I’m a current Bulk Upload user and have upgraded to a new computer with Windows 7. Is there anything new that I need to know about installing the Bulk Upload tool with Windows 7?
The system requirements would be the same for Windows 7 as previous Windows operating systems.
The Bulk Upload utility does not have the “get claims” or “edit claims” option available for us under our log-ins. Is this something that needs to be “unlocked” by the facility for us now that we have new log-ins for our new firm account?
Generally, this function is an addition to the normal uses of the Bulk Upload tool and is not available by default. Each firm desiring to utilize this function must go through an online training webinar prior to having this function enabled. For firms that have gone through the training and have had new log-ins created due to firm changes, this function can be enabled without having to go through the training again by contacting the facility’s Websupport department.
I have been trying to import the required information to the bulk upload tool from an excel table. I’ve been trying to use the import wizard & choosing to amend a current database. Once the wizard is done I get an error message. I’ve tried to copy & paste but it won’t let me do that either. The online tutorial states they focus on the beginner’s method of updating the individual fields. Is there a tutorial for using the import wizard?
We are currently in the process of creating the tutorials that cover how to use Excel files by copying and pasting the data directly into the tables. In the meantime, please contact the facility’s Websupport department for detailed step by step instructions.
What are the minimum required fields for a successful new claims upload?
At minimum, you will be required to enter the attorney id, claimant’s last name, SSN, Process Option, and Living Status. Entering this information will in most cases allow you to successfully upload new claims. This, however, does not guarantee the claims will be ready to review. Additional information will be required.