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…
Chicago and the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
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…