I received an email Thursday night from BJ Dernbach, Division Administrator for the Wisconsin Workers Compensation Department of Workforce Development. Mr. Dernbach politely informed me that our recent survey of jurisdictional workers’ compensation forms missed an important fact in his state. He also rightly requested that I correct the record for our readers. With my…
When America's Got Talent Shows America's Got Perseverance
It is part of our mindless summer television fair, but my wife and I have watched the show America’s Got Talent now for many seasons. We always record the show – it seems everything we watch is now recorded – and that allows us to cut through the commercials and much of the useless host…
On Social Security Numbers, I Slighted Illinois
With my penchant for (relative) accuracy and insistence on (somewhat) verifiable facts, I cannot believe this happened. But it apparently did, and a public apology is due. In my campaign to get states to stop their dependence on social security numbers for everything from claim management to hall passes and beverage cart discounts, I omitted…
My Durango Lesson on Workers' Comp
Judge David Langham wrote an excellent article two weeks ago, entitled “My Workers’ Comp Accident”. It was a description of his one and only personal experience with workers’ comp – at least as an injured worker. He drove a truck through a house (it is a must read). His greater message, however, was that the…
There is a Functional Reason That Ability is in the Name
My visit to Chicago’s Shirley Ryan AbilityLab a couple weeks ago was certainly worth the effort. Worth the effort, that is, if you have any interest in glimpsing the future of acute rehabilitative care. The AbilityLab is the new brand identity for the formerly named Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago; and that new identity fits perfectly…
Social Security Numbers and Workers' Comp Forms – The Ugly
Editor’s Note: An error in our forms survey regarding the State of Wisconsin has been brought to our attention. For the vast majority of their forms, inclusion of the Social Security number is optional. You may read about the correction here. I’ve been writing about my recent experience as a victim of identity theft, and…
If Illinois Runs Their Insurance Company Like They Run Their Prisons….
While I have been critical of short sighted reform efforts in various states around the nation recently, no state is more fascinating to watch than the State of Illinois when it comes to “fixing” workers’ comp. The passage of two bills, HB 2525 and HB 2622, which are currently awaiting the Governor’s signature, represent interesting…
Still Blowin' Like a Champ
I will admit there are some people who think I blow, but I have news for them. They’re right. I not only blow, I evidently blow like a champ, and have been doing so for over a decade. At least that is what my allergist keeps telling me. I was diagnosed with Asthma many years…
Comp Laude® Nominations Will Soon Be Closing
Nominations for the 6th Annual Comp Laude® Awards will close soon, and if you haven’t taken the time to honor top performers in the industry, this is the time to do so. The Annual Comp Laude® Awards are designed to recognize excellence in the workers’ compensation industry by singling out those top performers who made…
Avoid Attorney Fees by Avoiding the Attorneys
There is a scene in an episode of the hit television show, “Big Bang Theory” that I thought of recently. Set at a campsite in the desert, three of the main characters, Raj, Howard and Leonard, are all “severely impaired”, as well as suffering from an intense bought of the munchies, after unknowingly eating a…