Whoever created the old adage, “What you don't know can't hurt you” probably didn't know what they were talking about. At the very least they had no familiarity with the workers' compensation industry, I can assure you. I thought about this during a recent lunch with a Sarasota Employment Law attorney. I first met Christine…
SAIF Executive Council's Bold Words Require Bolder Action
Last week the management of Oregon workers’ compensation insurer SAIF had their annual all-day getaway, a retreat ostensibly designed to educate, inform and motivate upper management as well as the company’s Executive Council. Colloquially it could probably be referred to as the annual “Come to Jesus” meeting, except this is Oregon. It would more likely…
Shooting of Nevada Workers' Comp Advocate a Warning for All
The office shooting of a Nevada Workers’ Compensation Advocate in Las Vegas last Monday is a reminder that danger lurks in our industry. Workers' Compensation Advocate Mike Kogler was shot in the chest by 73 year old Leonard Sullivan, who was arrested at the scene and charged with attempted murder. Kogler was seriously wounded but…
2014 Oregon Workers' Compensation Premium Rate Ranking: Reflection of the Past or Prediction for the Future?
The biennial study on workers' compensation premium rates issued by the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS) was released last week, and, as always, it is worthy of a review by those of us entrenched within the industry. The study ranks all 50 states and Washington, D.C., based on rates that were in…
No Rousmaniere at the Inn
It is difficult to travel when you’ve lost your wallet, along with all of your associated identification. Difficult to check in to a hotel, very difficult to rent a car, and seemingly impossible to board an airplane. But when the weary traveler loses their wallet while on the road far from home, how does everything…
SAIF's New Board Makes Positive Effort, But It's Not Quite MBWA
An announcement was posted yesterday morning to an internal News bulletin system for SAIF employees, informing them that two of their new board members will be available later this month to meet directly with employees of the embattled Oregon insurer. The announcement reads: Two of SAIF's new board members are visiting the Salem campus on…
The Failed Methodology of One Beer Per Bar in Workers' Compensation
Last week's catastrophic Chicago airport disaster (the one where I was trapped with a Kazillion other travelers after some mentally impaired moron with a severe case of cranial rectal inversion torched the Chicago Air Traffic Control Center because he was depressed they were making him move to Hawaii and causing Tin Pushers to scamper for…
Is Your Workplace Ready for Ebola?
It officially hit our shores last week; the first Ebola patient, a man just back from Africa, was admitted to a Dallas hospital. This was different than the few Ebola cases treated prior in the country. Those arrived on humanitarian flights in specially equipped aircraft with exceptionally trained crews. Medical professionals knew they were coming…
Current and Former SAIF CEO's Apparently Want Out
There was some activity involving current and former SAIF CEO’s this past week. It seems two of them, John Gilkey and Brenda Rocklin, want out of their current situation. Yesterday Interim CEO John Gilkey sent an email to SAIF employees informing them he plans to retire once the new SAIF Board has secured a replacement.…
IAIABC: Making Return to Work Easy Peasy Committee Style
The Disability Management and Return to Work Committee met yesterday at the IAIABC 100th Annual Conference in Austin, TX. As regular readers will know, this committee has been working to develop a policy paper on Return to Work to better foster a consistent RTW process across all jurisdictions. I must say we are moving at…