A few weeks back I wrote about the most recent Opt Out news, a ProPublica/NPR article looking at the Federal Governments potential interference in workers' comp with Opt Out being a final ingredient in the interventional stew. In that article I had a bit of fun with a public relations firm hired by ARAWC, the…
ISG Las Vegas Reception with Paduda and Plotkin Shaping Up To Be An Interesting One
As many of us are preparing for next week's big workers' comp soiree, the National Workers' Compensation and Disability Conference, we find it challenging to determine which after hours events we should attend. Wednesday night might have been a particular challenge for me, as several big events are planned that evening in conjunction with the…
Maryland Kids' Chance Rocks Manic Monday Television to Kick Off Awareness Week
Kids’ Chance of Maryland launched Kids’ Chance Awareness Week Monday in grand style, appearing on a local Baltimore CBS affiliate and singing modified lyrics to the song “Manic Monday”. Kids’ Chance is pushing awareness of their cause the entire week, and this was probably the most visible effort to date in the project. Kids’ Chance…
A Solution for the Sharing Economy Employment Dilemma – The Goober Car
I spoke at the Idaho Industrial Commission Workers' Compensation Seminar in Boise, ID last Thursday, on the topic of what our industry may look like in the year 2020 and beyond. It was a very future oriented conference, with the morning Keynote Tom Lynch going into extensive detail about Artificial Intelligence and the future of…
Federal Intervention in Workers' Comp: Will Opt Out Be the Final Straw?
An article in NPR yesterday reports that “Ten ranking Democrats on key Senate and House committees are urging the Labor Department to respond to a ‘pattern of detrimental changes in state workers’ compensation laws' that have reduced protections and benefits for injured workers over the past decade.” The letter, addressed to Labor Secretary Thomas Perez,…
The Miracle League of Manasota, Where Disabled People Just Aren’t
I get tired of talking about “can't”, and the workers' compensation system sometimes seems hell bent on it. We can't simplify the claims system. We can't humanize the process. We can't convince people that getting back to work is best for them. And we can't convince employers they need their injured back. We can't seem…
ProPublica and Peter Rousmaniere Give Workers' Comp Opt Out A Very Bad Day
ProPublica, the news organization that last spring electrified the workers' compensation industry with a series of scathing reports, has turned its sights on the world of Opt Out, and is reporting that, for employees subject to that system, things are not as Disneyesque as promoters would have us believe. The highly detailed report was published…
Hanging with Bobby Collins While Roasting Les McCurdy
I’ve written previously about hosting the Sertoma Sarasota Celebrity Roast. It is an annual fundraiser I run for the benefit of children with speech and hearing issues. This year, for those of you on the Florida Gulf Coast, we will be roasting local legend Les McCurdy, of McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre. In addition. we will be…
Tennessee Workers' Comp Opt Out Opponents Are Finding Their Voice
At least two separate, yet similar editorials ran in Tennessee publications this week lambasting the effort to implement Opt Out in the state. Both articles essentially contend that the Opt Out scheme being proposed holds “threatening consequences for the state, its business environment, businesses and workers.” Can't say I disagree with them. One editorial appeared…
Employer Chooses Flatulation Termination Over Toxic Inhalation
In the interest of fairness and full disclosure, I have been a bit under the weather since returning from a business trip to California last week. Traveling extensively can expose people to increased risks of illness, and I have been very fortunate the last couple years that I have not suffered any ill effects from…