Man, do the wheels of justice turn slowly. After all, it was almost three years ago, in May of 2014, when John Plotkin, the new CEO of SAIF Corporation, Oregon’s state owned workers’ compensation insurer, was terminated after just three months on the job. The debacle that followed is known to many in our industry.…
Bob’s Top Ten Predictions for 2017
2016 was a hectic year here at the Cluttered Desk. That is due in part to the fact I wasn’t behind it much of the time these past 12 months. Travel demands this last year exceeded all before it, and I spent a fairly significant amount of time away from the office. This makes foretelling…
Japanese Insurance Company to Replace Claim Reps with Artificial Intelligence System
A Japanese insurance company is about to thrust the insurance industry into the future, as well as the ongoing debate over how much technology will really alter our industry. I’ve spent a good deal of time this past year discussing the future of workers’ compensation at conference presentations around the nation. Obviously, technology is a…
When Waffle House Fires Annie Oakley
A bit of controversy erupted this past week when an Atlanta area Waffle House Restaurant was robbed in the wee hours of the morning. Waffle House, for those of you north of the Mason Dixon line, is a small 24-hour diner with 1,800 locations, primarily in the south. They are known for both their pecan…
Nearly a Century of Persistence
The picture below is not a remarkable one. Taken recently by my niece and posted to Facebook, it shows the bed of my father’s work truck. You can see a hose, as well as a six-foot ladder. There is a box containing supplies of unknown origin, and just barely visible in the left of the…
Merry Happy Happy Chrishannakwanadan – 2016
Bob has posted this holiday message every year since it was originally published on 12/23/2011. Admittedly, this year feels a bit different, as the drama surrounding the recent election seems to have put the drive for Political Correctness on it’s heels. The phrase “Merry Christmas” has once again returned as an acceptable part of the…
2016 Predictions – No, Joe, How Did I Do?
Friend, fellow blogger and political provocateur Joe Paduda last week wrote a post reviewing the results of his annual prognostications for the year. His Top Ten list has become a bit of a holiday tradition, as Paduda pens these predictions, and subsequent holiday period reviews, every year. Interestingly, I note that he did not write…
Is Loss Cost Really THE Solution for Florida Workers’ Comp Ills?
An article published last week in workcompcentral details one of the prevailing solutions being considered by the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee for the current Florida’s workers’ compensation crisis. If formalized, presented and passed, it would change the premium rate setting policy from an administered system to that generally known as “loss cost”; insurers in…
For This Conversation, I Know You Think You Understand What I Said, But I Am Not Sure What You Read Is Exactly What I Meant
Boy, did I kick up a shit storm this morning (That is my way of saying, “Allow me to clarify”). Early this morning I posted an article about the most recent meeting of the Workers’ Compensation Summit, held in New Orleans on November 29th. I was, as I have done before, simply providing some insight…
The New Orleans WC Summit and the National Conversation
The third meeting of the Workers’ Compensation Summit was held in New Orleans, LA on November 29th at the Morial Convention Center. It was graciously hosted by the National Workers’ Compensation and Disability Conference. This meeting, like the ones that preceded it in Orlando and Dallas, had its share of frustrations, but also produced what…