Year: 2012

You have to sometimes wonder about people who work the midnight fast food drive thru shifts. A southern California Del Taco customer found that out the hard way this week. The customer got into a dispute over his order, and the incident escalated until the Del Taco employee with whom he was engaged in discussion,…

I read today that the Veterans Affairs Department is looking to reduce suicide among veterans with the increased use of technology. Specifically, they hope to “reduce the risk of suicide among veterans by making greater use of video conferences between patients and doctors and by gradually integrating its electronic health records with those maintained by…

Yes, you read that right. With all the talk recently about changing the disability mindset in this country, this story, while not workers' comp related, highlights much of the mentality we deal with in the industry. A 47 year old man in Las Vegas has an extremely rare condition that has caused his scrotum to…

Let's face it. It sucks being injured. And it sucks being on workers' comp. Your income stops, or may be greatly reduced. You are clueless as to what comes next. You're assigned an “adjuster” who works for a company you probably never heard of, and who may or may not return your calls. You see…

As evidence that public sector unions still carry significant clout after last week's drubbing in the recall election of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, union school cafeteria workers in the Sharpsville Pennsylvania School District won a significant victory this week, gaining the right to eat all of the expired and outdated food they wish, and they…

You know there is going to be a problem when I feel compelled to apologize for a post directly in the title of it. It is a touchy subject, as someone died as a result of the accident I discuss. I do not take that death lightly. Still, I have questions about the allegations surrounding…

I should note in regards to the title of this rant, I am not really surrounded by stupidity. I work with exceptional people, and we have some absolutely terrific customers. Many, many people I deal with in the industry are first rate professionals, and I am privileged to know them. If you are aware enough…

A strange case was just decided in the great state of Oklahoma. It was at least strange to me. But then, I suppose many things are strange to me. A computer programmer who had a heart attack while performing lawn maintenance for his employer has been awarded medical and temporary total benefits by the Oklahoma…

I am currently in New Orleans for the National Workers’ Compensation Defense Network’s summer seminar. Today, during a session discussing a “think outside the box” strategy, Attorney and NWCDN member Will Ross offered up a few salient ideas, including this provocative thought:  In an adversarial claim where a claimant is being prescribed narcotics as part…

I am once again privileged to announce a great new contributor to the Workers’ Comp Blogwire on WorkersCompensation.com. John D'Alusio has over 30 years experience in P/C insurance with executive management positions in administration, field operations, and claim technical areas. In his career, John has worked in claims leadership positions at Liberty Mutual Insurance Company,…