This morning finds me in Portland, Oregon, where I have been invited to speak to NCOIL, the National Conference of Insurance Legislators. I will be providing an update on the 2016 Workers’ Compensation Summit and the “National Conversation” it was designed to spark for the workers’ compensation industry. It is a great opportunity, and with…
Dallas Workers' Comp Summit Issues Final Issue Priority Report
The 2016 Workers’ Compensation Summit today released the final report on its Dallas meetings. The Summit, held in May of this year, has launched an ongoing “National Conversation” intended to identify and resolve weaknesses and problems in the workers' compensation systems across the nation. The report puts the previously released “Imperative Issues” into an order of…
Workers' Comp Agents, Either Stand and Be Heard or Take a Seat and Endure the Ride
There is a big difference between the word “most” and “many”, and when taken from a greater context, it can completely alter the intent of a message. Such is the conundrum I faced when an email that referenced me was quoted in another bloggers forum. It was an email that completely misrepresented not just a…
Deadline Extended – Nominate a Winner for the Comp Laude Awards
The 5th Annual Comp Laude Awards are scheduled for this November, and they are looking for nominations to recognize professionals and injured workers' who have excelled or achieved excellent outcomes in the arena of workers' comp. The original nomination deadline was June 30th, but it has been extended to July 10, 2016. Comp Laude is…
Neighborhood Fireworks, Gun Control and the Failure of Law
Most fireworks are illegal in my state. Anything other than a hand held sparkler is strictly verboten. It is illegal to use “exploding and/or flying fireworks in Florida, which include: shells and mortars, multiple tube devices, Roman candles, rockets and firecrackers.” Someone forgot to tell the idiots in my neighborhood. It happens every year, and…
The Legal Debris Field Widens as Oklahoma Supremes Give Comp Reforms Another Hit
They are having a really tough time in Oklahoma. A few years ago they proudly rolled out their new and shiny workers' compensation reforms, declaring a new day had dawned and life would henceforth be wonderful. Today the bent and twisted wreckage of that effort litters the ground, looking more like a rickety plane that…
With Survey and Phone Call, The "Conversation" Summit Approaches Another Goal
I was going to use the word “final” instead of “another” in the headline to this post, but there is nothing final about the people who assembled at the 2016 Workers' Compensation Summit in Dallas last month. It is clear to us that most are in for the long haul, and genuinely hope to make…
Kids’ Chance of Florida Goes from Zero to Scholarships in Just 5.8 Months
The Board of Directors for Kids' Chance of Florida met telephonically last week and voted to award scholarships totaling $15,000 to four college bound students. Not bad, considering the organization didn't even exist 6 months ago. It just goes to show that, even in workers' comp, good things can happen when there is a strong…
The National Conversation: Turns Out Fighting Treatment Delay is the Maine Event
Florida Judge David Langham wrote last week about a very important idea discussed in Dallas during the first meeting of the 2016 Workers' Compensation Summit. It was, in my mind, one of the biggest ideas from our two-day gathering, and I fully intended to write about it earlier than now. However, life gets in the…
New Bondage Stress Management Technique Ideal for Boosting Productivity
One of the unstated goals of this blog is to help educate and inform people about new and innovative processes to improve workplace safety and efficiency. This is particularly useful to those of you who are too busy actually earning a living to waste massive quantities of time piddling around the web trying to fill…