I’ve been attending my first full virtual conference this week. It is being held by the Southern Association of Workers’ Compensation Administrators (SAWCA), and is providing two days of information from regulators, carriers, employers and more. The first sessions concluded yesterday with a regulator panel representing about 20 states and an employer panel with representatives…
A Moving Experience Over Stupid Decisions
My wife and I had a moving experience last week, and for me it was a reminder that, even though the workers’ compensation industry is out of sight and mind for most on a daily basis, its existence is vital to the health and continuation of our economy. Over these past two weeks we purchased…
Yes Virginia, There is an Insanity Clause
We know that workers’ comp is at times controversial, and that case related decisions and determinations rarely make everyone happy. Still, through the din of disagreement there is usually a thread of logic that can help define issues and justify outcomes. A previously recognized standard or doctrine is often in place that supports the decision…
Never Waste a Pandemic: The Blurry Vision Regarding Workers’ Comp 2020
In 2010 this website published a series of articles penned by well-known workers’ compensation professionals conjecturing on what the industry might look like ten years down the road. Called the “Workers’ Comp 20/20” series, they were intended to provide a “vision” of what the industry might look like and how it would operate in the…
Justices Denied: DeSantis Veto Was a Mistake
As first reported by Nancy Grover last week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis vetoed Florida HB 1049, which “would have increased the pay of the state’s judges of compensation claims to equal that of county court judges.” Passed by the legislature to bring the first pay raise Florida workers’ compensation judges would have seen in well over…
The House with Slow Children – Inconceivable!
Judge David Langham, in a blog titled “Inconceivable!” posted last week on this website, outlined the importance of the meaning of words, particularly in a legal context. He discusses the challenges of the various components of our government in crafting, interpreting and deploying legislation. His points are well made, but the principle behind his post, that “words…