Pursuant to  section 284.50(4), Florida Statutes, the Division of Risk Management is required to conduct agency risk management program evaluations as follows:

“The Division of Risk Management shall evaluate each agency’s risk management programs, including, but not limited to, return-to-work, safety and loss prevention programs, at least once every 5 years. Reports, including, but not limited to, any recommended corrective action, resulting from such evaluations shall be provided to the head of the agency being evaluated, the Chief Financial Officer, and the Director of the Division of Risk Management. The agency head must provide to the Division of Risk Management a response to all report recommendations within 45 days and a plan to implement any corrective actions to be taken as part of the response. If the agency disagrees with any final report recommendations, including, but not limited to, any recommended corrective action, or if the agency fails to implement any recommended corrective action within a reasonable time, the division shall submit the evaluation report to the legislative appropriations committees.”

The Division of Risk Management (Division) maintains Agency Risk Management Program Evaluation Guidelines (Guidelines) that act as a framework of best practices for the implementation of agency programs. The Division utilizes these guidelines as an assessment tool in its review of key agency risk management program components.

Yes. The Guidelines are published on the Division of Risk Management’s website and are also available upon request.

• View the Guidelines
• To request a copy of the Guidelines by e-mail, send a message to the program.

The agency program evaluation schedule is based on the first 5-year cycle of evaluations, which began in 2011. That is, the agency programs will be evaluated in roughly the same order as during the first five-year cycle, with adjustments as events warrant.

Agency program evaluations are conducted under a collaborative process designed to maximize communication between members of the Division evaluation team and risk management personnel at the agencies. The evaluation process consists of information gathering, a site visit, report drafting, and finalizing. Throughout this process, Division analysts will work with agency personnel to produce observations and recommendations designed to assist in the continuous improvement of the agency’s risk management program.

The agency program evaluation is focused on the high-level processes in place at the agency and how to best improve them. As the process is a collaborative one, the analysts will work with agency personnel to address local areas of concern.

Division analysts and management are cleared to review information covered by HIPPA. Any confidential information that may be included in the report itself or in the supporting documentation is redacted prior to the report being made available to a requestor.

The length of the site visit will depend on the size and complexity of the agency being visited. The work of a site visit may be expedited when requested information has been provided in timely fashion.

A conference room with internet access is suitable for the evaluation team’s work.

Since the evaluation focuses largely on overall risk management program processes, visits to regional offices or other sites are not typically part of the evaluation.

The employee files that are examined during the evaluation are chosen at random by evaluation team members. They are scanned into a secure file, and the originals remain on site.

The evaluation team can be contacted by e-mail at any time during the process. The analyst(s) assigned to conduct the evaluation will provide contact information—including a phone number and e-mail address—at the beginning of the process.

There are a number of variables that affect the amount of time it takes to draft the report and provide a copy of the draft to the agency. Among these are the size and complexity of the agency being evaluated; the completeness of the documentation provided to the evaluation team prior to the site visit; and the amount of time devoted to management review of the report.

Yes. In addition to the open lines of communication maintained between the analysts and agency personnel throughout the evaluation, the final report format provides for the inclusion of agency responses to any Division recommendations. These responses are not edited prior to incorporation into the final report.

Pursuant to  section 284.50(4), Florida Statutes:

“The agency head must provide to the Division of Risk Management a response to all report recommendations within 45 days and a plan to implement any corrective actions to be taken as part of the response.”

Pursuant to  section 284.50(4), Florida Statutes:

“The agency head must provide to the Division of Risk Management a response to all report recommendations within 45 days and a plan to implement any corrective actions to be taken as part of the response. If the agency disagrees with any final report recommendations, including, but not limited to, any recommended corrective action, or if the agency fails to implement any recommended corrective action within a reasonable time, the division shall submit the evaluation report to the legislative appropriations committees.”

The Division follows up with agencies on the status of report recommendations and provides consultation and assistance where possible to aid program personnel in implementation.

It is the intent of the Division to ensure that the recommendations included in an evaluation report do not require new spending on the part of the agency. If an agency believes that the implementation of a report recommendation would require new spending, that information should be included in the response to the report.

Pursuant to  section 284.50(4), Florida Statutes:

“Reports, including, but not limited to, any recommended corrective action, resulting from such evaluations shall be provided to the head of the agency being evaluated, the Chief Financial Officer, and the Director of the Division of Risk Management.”

The recipient list for final reports additionally includes the key agency program personnel involved in the evaluation.

Yes. Agency evaluation reports are subject to public records requests. Any confidential information that may be included in the report itself or in the supporting documentation is redacted prior to the report being made available to a requestor.

The Division of Risk Management does not publish the final reports. Final reports are provided to key agency program personnel at the conclusion of the evaluation process. Additional copies of final reports may be requested by contacting the program.

Yes. Information about best practices related to report recommendations will be made available to agency personnel when the draft report is presented at an exit conference. In addition, information about risk management best practices may be requested by contacting the program.