From Bob's Cluttered Desk

Well, it is official. As reported here and elsewhere, workers’ compensation rates in Florida, where my company is based, are set to rise 14.5% on December 1, 2016. This is largely the result of two court decisions, which were largely the result of some really shortsighted legislative decisions, which were largely the result of greedy…

Midday Wednesday there will be two reports released concerning workers’ compensation. One is from the US Department of Labor, the other from the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI). The concept of a simultaneous release of reports is not unknown to our industry. After all, ProPublica and OSHA “simultaneously” launched negative reports on us last…

I will be the first to tell you that those of us engaged in coordinating the Workers’ Compensation Summit have been completely overwhelmed the past couple months. The Summit, if you are unaware, is the ongoing effort driving the “National Conversation” for the workers’ compensation industry, looking to identify weaknesses and promote positive change for…

There has been a lot of speculation in our industry about the Federal Government’s appetite for intervening in the world of workers’ compensation. While most pundits and many influential professionals have steadfastly maintained that it will “never happen”, I have been the contrarian voice on the matter. I have postulated that the Federal government could…

I love a good conundrum, especially when it highlights sheer hypocrisy. Most people are aware of the ongoing protests this past year regarding the “Fight for $15” movement. Fast food restaurants and big box retailers have been targeted during these protests, allegedly showing their employees fighting for “living wage” of $15 per hour. I have…

I’ve been dealing with an issue this past couple weeks here in Florida that might just give a small taste of the frustration an injured worker feels when an important medical procedure is denied by the insurance carrier responsible for their claim. The irritation is centered around two distinct areas; a denial with which they…

As we reported yesterday, the Oklahoma Supreme Court declared the Opt Out system in that state unconstitutional. In the 7-2 decision the justices found that the system creates separate classes of injured worker which violated the rights of citizens in the state. The court did determine that existing claims that were being managed under opt…

Recently, I ran into an insurance professional at a conference. Our discussion turned to the National Conversation and this professional’s criticism of the 2016 Workers’ Compensation Summit’s lack of “diversity.” While their attitude towards the project was positive, they indicated that, looking at a roster of the attendees, that the Summit was essentially “old and white”.…

The Oregon Court of Appeals today issued an order reversing and remanding a lower court decision that removed former SAIF CEO Brenda Rocklin as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by her successor, John Plotkin. Saying that “the trial court erred in concluding that [Plotkin] failed to establish a probability that he will prevail on…

Admittedly, saying that you are headed to Chicago to spend two days with lawyers from up to 47 states doesn’t sound like a rockin’ good time. I would suggest to you, however, that in the case of the National Workers’ Compensation Defense Network (NWCDN), you just haven’t met these particular lawyers. The group, whose seminars…