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Internal Control Enhancements for A.I.M. Mutual Insurance Companies, Premier Workers’ Compensation Insurance Organization

Guided by their founding principles of empathy, compassion, and collaboration, A.I.M. Mutual Insurance Companies provide workers’ compensation coverage to businesses throughout New England. They offer a unique partnership approach to workers’ compensation management, developing programs that include occupational health, injury prevention and worksite wellness services, all with an emphasis on service. The goal is to ensure a workers’ compensation experience that provides peace of mind for all.

Challenge

A.I.M. Mutual provides many benefits to its employees, including reimbursement of tuition costs for continued education. Although tuition costs were capped, there was no control to enforce the maximum amount.

  • Management identified one tuition reimbursement greater than the capped amount, but the overall expense impact could not be determined.
  • They began to question if there were additional reimbursement expenses greater than the capped amount, and what other controls should be in place according to best practices?

Solution

After identifying the issue, A.I.M. Mutual turned to Wolf & Company’s Internal Audit Services group for a review of the internal controls of the entire Human Resources department, including payroll processing and employee expense reimbursement. This review:

  • Validated the internal control structure
  • Gave management confidence regarding the magnitude of tuition reimbursement overages
  • Provided guidance on instituting additional internal controls

Wolf used advanced data analytics to identify all reimbursements (including tuition during the period) and evaluated anomalies.

We were looking for an independent firm to review our payroll policies and controls. Wolf & Company’s reputation in the financial services field made it an easy choice.

From the get-go, the Wolf & Company team was responsive and professional. The audit went very smoothly and stuck to the timeline that had been laid out. We were very happy with the findings and will be implementing some additional ‘best practices’ to further enhance our internal controls. We definitely made a wise decision to go with Wolf & Company.

Mark Millet, SHRM-CP

Human Resources Manager

A.I.M. Mutual Insurance Companies

Result

Wolf delivered a comprehensive report including control enhancements, industry-leading practice recommendations, and confirmation of the tuition reimbursement. Our dedicated team also provided:

Assurance on identified reimbursement issues

Customized solutions to address specific business challenges and optimize operational activities

In-depth analyses of potential control gaps