I am headed to Chicago this morning to attend an open house at the newly named Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. It was formerly known as the The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) — a specialty, non-profit hospital serving patients with the most severe, complex conditions. In March, RIC officially became known as the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, and it…
Social Security Numbers and States That Are Getting It Right (or Almost Right)
Editors Note: In a rare (or rarely admitted) error, Bob neglected to include the State of Illinois in this article. They actually have the thrid lowest percentage of forms requiring social security numbers in the nation. He has published the correction and his apology here. Additionally, an error in our forms survey regarding the State…
"The Word" is Adapting, and the Future is On the Docket for NCCI
NCCI CEO Bill Donnell delivered the opening address to a packed house at the Annual Issues Symposium in Orlando, FL Thursday. Donnell gave an excellent presentation, speaking about the state of the industry, and, in keeping tradition with the NCCI Annual Event, delivered “The Word”, which this year is “Adapting”. In addition to the word,…
Are We Asking the Right Questions Regarding Doctor Choice?
Last month the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) released a study looking at how and if claim expense is affected depending on which party gets to select the doctor. The study, in excess of 100 pages, was entitled “The Effects of Provider Choice Policies on Workers’ Compensation Costs”. The authors were WCRI Public Policy Researcher…
The Aerial Observers of Workers' Comp
A couple years back, while I was attending a conference where I was scheduled to speak, I received a generous invitation to briefly address a group of claims people who were attending CEU training in a concurrent program. The organizer had asked me to stop in and briefly discuss my company, and specifically our legislative…
Has the ABA Abandoned the First Amendment?
It is a concept that can eventually wend its way into the workers’ compensation industry, and that thought should chill you to the bone. Lawyers, whether you love ‘em or hate ‘em, are in many ways the final vanguard of protection for our rights as US citizens. They are the soldiers trained to represent and…
When it Comes to Social Security Numbers, WI, WV and DC are the Bad Boys of Workers' Comp
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. Three weeks ago, I wrote about learning that my personal identity had been stolen, and…
A Non-Subscriber Mess? Texas Mortuary Worker Sues Over Job Induced Stress
A former employee of a Fort Worth, TX mortuary is suing his former employer for both physical and mental injuries he claims to have incurred on the job. In the lawsuit, he claims in one incident he got sick from a body he was performing services on. In another he claims he was traumatized by…
Kids' Chance and Major Karma, Baby
I am, to a great degree, a believer in Karma, and that things often happen for a reason. That is certainly the way I felt on Wednesday afternoon, when manna from heaven unexpectedly appeared for Kids’ Chance of Florida. I spoke Wednesday at a lunch of my local Sertoma Club, and my topic was Kids’…
Thank You for Another Best Blogs Under the Belt
We announced the winners of our 2017 Best Blogs contest yesterday afternoon. It is the second time we have run the contest, and as last year it produced some interesting results. This blog made the list once again, and while it might be suspicious that a guy who runs the company that holds the contest…