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Why is it Important to Understand Group Retro Ratings?
Group retro is a relatively new incentive program designed to help Ohio employers keep their workplace safe. In 2009, the Ohio BWC created group retro, and since then it has worked exceptionally well for employers who either do not have a group rating option or that have the opportunity to get more premium back from this program. However, there have been some changes made to the rules and regulations that structure the group retro rating that can affect Ohio employers.
Understanding Group Retro
The first this that you, as an Ohio employer, need to understand is what the percentages of refunds are in the group retro program. In the graph, you can see the blue columns represent the standard refund. The standard refund is based on your premium minus the BWC admin fee.
If your company pays $100,000 in premium, the BWC admin fee is roughly $15,000, so that is an $85,000 refund.
The yellow columns represent the premium that is actually paid. This is a more accurate representation of the refund you will receive from the group retro program.
This is why it is important to know if any projection is a standard or gross refund. Otherwise, you may be left thinking you would get a larger refund than you actually will.
How has Group Retro Changed in 2019?
When it comes to the 2019 policy year, the BWC has been giving some upfront discounts for premiums, which is a good thing for some. However, this will also affect group retro employers because the amount of premium in the pool will lower. Most group retro pools have a standard loss run, or they are going to assume losses. This ultimately leads to you not getting the same percentage as before.
It's very important to make sure when you're evaluating group retro, that you understand these changes and how they will affect you. You need to understand where the percentages are projected to be and what they will actually be.
There is a lot to keep up with as the rules and regulations are always changing. That is why Spooner is here to help Ohio employers stay on track and know exactly what they are doing with their group retro refunds. If you have any questions, contact us at Spooner Inc. today or visit our site for more details.
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
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Westlake, Ohio 44145
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