I am speaking next week as the opening presenter for the 2015 Minnesota Workers' Compensation Summit: “Keeping Minnesota Safe and Healthy”. The topic of my presentation is “No Brain, No Gain – Imagining Our Way to Better Injury Outcomes”. It is based on an article I wrote last year, called simply, “No Brain, No Gain“.…
Is Workers' Comp Getting Mixed Signals from the Feds?
I was at the 2015 National Council of Self-Insurers Conference in St. Petersburg, FL earlier this week, and one of the sessions I attended was entitled “Federal Intrusion into Workers’ Compensation”. It was presented by Robert Minor of Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease out of Ohio. Minor spent some time reviewing past intrusions into the…
Are You Ready to Accommodate the Transabled?
Just when I think I've seen it all; the labels, the classifications, the special accommodations, the protected classes – something new and almost unfathomable crosses the Cluttered Desk. We're going to have to remove all sharp objects from the desks of HR across the nation. This one is a doozy. In a world where many…
Win, Lose and Draw: Wisconsin Workers' Compensation Reform Churns On In Non-Traditional Form
The Wisconsin Legislature's Joint Finance Committee voted Wednesday to pass a portion of Governor Scott Walker’s proposed plan to overhaul the state's worker’s compensation system. In what can best be described as mixed results for all interested parties, the approved portion of Walkers' plan will shift administrative handling of disputed claims to the Department of…
Opt Out Transparency – Where are the Lost Members of ARAWC?
The Association for Responsible Alternatives to Workers' Compensation (ARAWC) is, according to its website, “a national organization formed to advocate for a system that will deliver better medical outcomes to injured workers and give employers a choice in how they will manage employee benefits. ARAWC was formed in 2013 and advocates before state legislatures to…
Unrestrained Florida Postal Carriers May Now Drive With Unbelted Abandon
On May 22, 2015, Florida Governor Rick Scott signed SB160 into law, heralding in the most dramatic reforms this state has seen in decades. Well, not decades, perhaps. Days would be a better description; heralding in the most dramatic reforms this state has seen in days. The signing of SB160 means that a rural letter…
With SB 767, Oklahoma Opt Out Gets a Wee Bit Darker
The Oklahoma State Legislature last week passed and sent to the Governor SB 767, a bill otherwise known as the “comp cleanup bill”. Overall it is a rather unremarkable piece of legislation, correcting what some had felt were oversights from the states previous reform efforts. One of the more substantial “corrections” was the removal of…
Memorial Day Review: The Most Important Passenger On the Plane
Editor’s Note: Bob originally published this story November 18, 2013. We republish it today in honor of Memorial Day and all that it stands for. I’ve said it before; we are an industry based in injury, pain and death. People in workers’ compensation are immersed in those elements on a daily basis. Still, at a…
My Concern With Oklahoma Opt Out in One Word – Transparency
“Those who do not understand their history are doomed to repeat it” I will admit to being in unfamiliar territory here. As a conservative businessman who normally identifies with employer challenges and issues, I find myself on the opposite side of the aisle from many in the growing debate over Opt Out from traditional workers'…
They're Going to Need More "Employees Must Wash Hands" Signs
Be forewarned. This adult themed post is not for the overly sensitive or faint of heart, so go back to your knitting if that is the case. You've been warned. I sometimes feel sorry for Waffle House. The 1,700 location restaurant chain, known primarily throughout the south for fast and convenient breakfasts served round the…