A picture is worth a thousand words, so I am only going to write 300. The picture in question was sent to me last week by an anonymous donor in response to the untimely and unethical termination of SAIF CEO John Plotkin. It is a scan of a photo – actually it appears to be…
When Beauty's Workers' Comp Booty Is Illegal Looty
In the “you can’t make this crap up” department, we heard the story last week of a beauty pageant contestant in California who has been arrested and charged with workers’ compensation fraud after it was discovered she participated in two beauty pageants while collecting workers’ comp for an injury that prevented her from performing her…
Riding the Fastest Park Bench Ever at Another AASCIF Conference
The annual American Association of State Compensation Insurance Funds (AASCIF) conference, held this year in the Washington, DC area, is now just a fond memory, and as is my normal custom, I will regale you with the highlights of the week. The simple overview: The people of host fund Chesapeake Employers Insurance Company did a…
Bob Woodward Discusses Leadership at AASCIF
Using humor and some fairly blunt examples, Washington Post Associated Editor Bob Woodward discussed “Presidential Politics and the Price of Leadership” at the AASCIF 2014 Annual Conference on Tuesday. The conference was held in National Harbor, MD., just outside of Washington, DC. Woodward reviewed many of the current problems before our country, and juxtaposed them…
Former SAIF CEO Rocklin Asks Oregon to Pay Her Legal Defense in Plotkin Suit
Former SAIF CEO Brenda Rocklin has asked the Oregon Department of Justice to pay for her legal expenses related to the lawsuit brought by John Plotkin over his recent termination from the agency. Rocklin’s attorneys, the Harrang Long Law Firm, sent a “request for defense and indemnity” to the Oregon Department of Justice on August…
Drunk and Pants Less Teacher Makes Lasting First Day Impression
An Oklahoma woman on Monday had a remarkable first day on the job. She met new people, got new pants, got to ride in a police car, and made a lasting first day impression that few people ever achieve. She was a newly hired teacher for Wagoner Public Schools in Wagoner, Oklahoma, and was slated…
Mr. Wordsmith Goes to Washington; AASCIF and the State Fund Firewall Problem
I am heading to the American Association of State Compensation Insurance Funds (AASCIF) 2014 annual conference in Washington, DC next week. As regular readers know I am a big fan of this conference – I am an enormous AASCIFFER. I am not sure what to expect this year, as I have spent a significant amount…
NFL Wearables Could Be the Personal Black Box for Workplace Accidents
I can’t believe I am talking about “wearables” for the second time in a week. I wrote about this on Monday with a discussion on the impact wearable technology will have on medical services and workers’ compensation. I figured I was done with it for a while. Yet here we are again, and this time…
Anonymous Letter to SAIF Customers Spells Trouble for the Agency
It came in the mail this morning. It was an anonymous note, explaining that the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services “Proof of Coverage Search” system was used to identify and locate businesses, within Oregon, that have an active workers' compensation insurance policy with SAIF Corporation. The note emphasized that this is publicly available…
Wearables and Workers' Comp, or How Did Kevin Connors Birthday Get on My Smart Watch?
During a session at the CCWC Conference in Anaheim, CA earlier in the month, one of the presenters said something that struck a chord with me. It was the final session of this year's annual conference, and several high level executives were discussing the future of workers' compensation. Corvel Chairman & CEO Gordon Clemons was…