From Bob's Cluttered Desk

Things have gone too far. We could endure the great toilet paper shortage of 2020. Then it was the coin shortage, sanitizer shortage and a variety of other deficiencies of supply all related to the ongoing COVID pandemic. Even injured workers are technically in shorter supply, with a dramatic drop in claims around the nation…

It is so difficult at times to tell the difference between idiocy and ignorance. The latter, of course, implies a lack of knowledge in a particular area, yet the ability to learn and improve. The former simply reflects poor actions or decision-making despite presumably having the information that should have prevented it. Idiocy can also…

Policy making is an art, or at the very least it is an action that requires thoughtfulness and insight. It was policymaking without those attributes, after all, that gave birth to the adage, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” American Ecologist Garrett Hardin once opined, “Every plausible policy must be…

Earlier this week Liz Carey authored an article on this site about a Pennsylvania man who shot at a cigar store employee and later engaged police in a shoot-out, all because he had been asked to wear a mask in the store. The man, who was shot numerous times in the buttocks, was arrested and charged with…

There is no doubt that “cybercrime’ is the catchphrase of the year. Well, behind COVID, Coronavirus, BLM, Defund the Police and other hot items du jour, cybercrime is a topic that has been and will continue to dominate the news. Whether you believe it or not, the danger of cybercrime will outlast current viral rages.…

A case in New York that is challenging the cessation of Permanent Disability benefits upon the death of a worker may change the landscape of workers’ comp in the state. A family whose husband and father unexpectedly died with almost 39 weeks of his PPD payments remaining is suing, claiming they are entitled to the full 350…

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…

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…

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…

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…