Abbie Hudgens had an idea. The Administrator of the Tennessee Bureau of Workers’ Compensation wanted to start a conversation with and within the workers’ compensation community, geared to the future and addressing the challenges faced by the industry. Her concept was a blog; a blog that would not just allow her and other authors to…
Big Surprise, Things Are Not Always What They Seem
We have a discussion forum here on WorkersCompensation.com that, while open to anyone, is dominated by injured workers. Posting activity has slowed during the pandemic, but historically it has been a very active area for people to ask questions and learn about workers’ comp. In its current format, since 2007, the board has generated 15,915…
On Second Thought, Leave Your Webcam Off
Somehow, over the years, my email address has wound up being listed on various press release distribution lists, with the result being that I get many emails every day announcing everything from company mergers to new tongue straightening toothpaste. It is almost as if the people who send these think I care. Silly people. Some…
California Wage Statement Dreamin'
My company is currently in the process of expanding the calculator section within our WorkCompResearch.com service. And we might save the workers’ compensation industry in the process. Foremost among the efforts, and most requested by the workers’ comp professionals we serve, is an Average Weekly Wage Calculator. Our Compliance people and Developers have been toiling at that…
Workers' Comp Fraud, Like Everything Else, Must Keep Up with The Times
No matter what the endeavor, it is important to keep up in our rapidly changing world. I suppose that it is no different in the world of workers’ compensation fraud. Especially in the era of Covid, when fake slip and falls are so “yesterday.” Last month a New York man was arrested and accused of submitting multiple…
A New Podcast, and Other Exciting Stuff
It has been a busy year for many people, and that is no different for those of here at WorkersCompensation.com. We’ve been diligently planning a few exciting new projects; one of which I can announce, but the others must for now remain cloaked in secrecy and intrigue. Oh, and another of those new ideas is…
A Nation Divided: Covid and the Legislative Challenges It Brings
Monday, we wrote about a proposed bill in Utah that would allow firefighters combatting fires in states other than their own to collect workers’ compensation benefits if they were injured on the job. Legislators there are running into significant headwinds, in the form of paranoid accusations that they are really establishing paramilitary services to enslave…
When Utah Workers' Comp Reform Accidentally Brings on The Apocalypse
A workers’ compensation bill in Utah has generated quite the unexpected controversy. HB 16, which has cleared the Utah house and is now apparently sailing through the Senate, is intended to allow Utah firefighters to be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits if they are injured while fighting fires in other states. Opponents of the measure, however,…
When You're a Hammer, and Everything is a Nail
I was interviewed earlier this week by Greg Hamlin and Michael Gilmartin for their podcast, “Adjusted.” Recorded for release in a few weeks, it was a fun and entertaining experience. Those two probably missed their calling. They made it a very easy process. One of the questions I was asked was related to the workers’…
And Don't Forget to Take Your Arm!
Two public workers who were performing sidewalk maintenance in Lewiston, Maine are being hailed as heroes this week after encountering a severely injured man stumbling down the street toward them. It appeared his arm had been completely severed near the shoulder. They could tell it was a very recent injury, as he was carrying his…