Blog
MCO Open Enrollment is Here!
Many of you know that every two years in May, MCO Open Enrollment occurs. This is the time that Ohio employers can choose the Managed Care Organization (MCO) they’ll work with for the next two years, and beyond.
If you’re reading this and Spooner Medical Administrators, Inc. (SMAI) isn’t your MCO, now’s the time to move on possibly the best business decision you’ll make this year. Especially if you work with Spooner Inc. as your TPA, having SMAI as your MCO really opens the lines of communication between both parties. SMAI's team is ready to schedule a call, Zoom, or in-person meeting with you anytime through May 26. Click here to send them a message, or give them a call.
Remember, MCO Open Enrollment only comes around every two years and only lasts four weeks. If you’re on the fence, it may be time to take a chance. Switching MCOs costs nothing, but when claims are managed poorly from a medical perspective - you’ll feel the sting down the road in your BWC premiums. Additionally, bi-weekly management calls and customizable reports can help you feel like you’re never out of the loop with what’s happening in your claims. Speaking of staying informed - SMAI's proprietary web-based software allows you create and run customized reports 24/7, report a claim at any hour, search in-network providers, and even create multiple company logins with different restrictions and access levels.
If you’re reading this and you’re already a client of Spooner Medical Administrators, thank you! We truly value your partnership and hope that our level of care is visible in every claim we handle for your business, no matter how complicated or simple. We don’t mass market during MCO Open Enrollment, and the referrals you provide to us are invaluable. If you love working with us, consider recommending us to a colleague in your industry, or even business owners you’ve met through networking and trade organizations. Your referrals are the best compliment we could possibly receive.
Group Retro Lawsuit - We Won the Final Round!
Posted By Brandy King
April 03, 2026
Category: Ohio BWC, Group Retro, 2018 Group Retro, 2019 Group Retro, Group Retro Refunds Withheld
Ohio Supreme Court Decision Reinforces Workers’ Compensation Rules — Even During COVID Although the verdict came on April Fool's Day, the decision issued by Ohio's highest court was no joke: administrative agencies must follow their own rules — even during extraordinary circumstances. Spooner Incorporated is proud to have been the only Third-Party Administrator (TPA) in Ohio that supported our clients in this fight, advocating for fair and proper administration of the Group Retrospective (Retro) rating program. What Happened? The Ohio Supreme Court ruled that the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) must still administer its group retrospective rating program for the 2018 policy year, even though those employers received dividends in 2020 equal to 100% of their 2018 premiums. During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, BWC issued a one-time dividend to policyholders as financial relief from the impact COVID had on Ohio businesses. Following that, the agency declined to perform group retrospective calculations for the 2018 and 2019 policy years (or make associated payouts), arguing that the dividend effectively replaced any potential refunds. The team at Spooner disagreed, along with our valued client Kent Elastomer and trusted partners at Roetzel & Andress - and a six-year legal battle ensued. Read more about the background here. Why This Matters to Employers This ruling reinforces a critical legal
Rehashing the Complexities of Marijuana in the Workplace
Posted By Brandy King
February 02, 2026
Category: Medical Marijuana, Drugs In The Workplace, Marijuana Rescheduled, Marijuana Breathalyzer, Cannabix, Thc Breath Test
Toward the end of 2025, President Trump signed an executive order directing the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to expedite the rescheduling of marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act. This is monumental in that it acknowledges that marijuana does, in fact, have valid clinical/medical uses and has low-to-moderate potential for abuse. Only four states in the U.S. still regard cannabis as being fully illegal, while another six allow only the cannabinoid CBD, which is known not to produce psychoactive effects. All other states have some version of legal or decriminalized marijuana, be it medical, recreational, or a combination of both. The first thing that’s important to note and is widely misunderstood is that this rescheduling does not legalize marijuana federally. As of January 28, 2026, Marijuana is still a Schedule I drug, since the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has not yet finalized this rule. Once they do cement this change, there could be some wide-sweeping changes to drug testing. The Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) currently only allows testing for Scheduled I and II substances for federal and regulated drug-testing programs followed by DOT-regulated employees and other safety-sensitive positions. Truck drivers, pilots, transit operators, railroad employees, and pipeline workers are all currently subject to mandatory drug and alcohol testing, including marijuana. There has been talk of a
Unemployment Services with Spooner
Posted By Brandy King
February 02, 2026
Category: Ohio, Unemployment, Hr Outsourcing, Unemployment Claims, Fraud
If you haven’t considered trusting Spooner’s family of companies with managing your unemployment claims, maybe you’re not sure what it entails and how much time and hassle it could save. You may have also tried outsourcing this to another vendor in the past and found that their approach really didn’t save you much of anything. The team at Spooner Risk Control (which encompasses both Spooner Inc and SuretyHR) boasts over 15 years of experience managing unemployment claims, including an attorney that will represent your company at hearing. Many clients that are new to using our unemployment services have shared that past vendors still required them to log into their portal, submit all the responses and paperwork, then the vendor would send to the state. Our approach is to simply ask for the documentation, submit, and take care of everything. As an unemployment services client, you’d be asked to sign a third-party representation form that will allow any unemployment-related forms and letters to come directly to us so you’re not always the go-between. Here’s a run-down of the services you can expect as an Unemployment Services client: Monitor and report all new unemployment claims and notifications Submission of claims and responses after requesting information from the employer and submission of any rebuttals File and submit appeals on any base period unemployment notifications or allowed claims File appeals to the
Contact
28605 Ranney Parkway
Westlake, Ohio 44145
Phone: 440-249-5260 ext. 153
Hours: 8AM to 5PM
