I heard a very interesting thing at RIMS 2012 this week. In a session entitled “Claims Triage: Identifying and Settling Big-Ticket Claims”, the panelists were sharing ideas on how to close “old dog” claims, those files that have been around forever and represent tremendous long term liabilities. Gregory Gitter, president of Gitter and Associates, while…
Removing the Boundaries of Risk Management at RIMS 2012
The annual RIMS Conference, which opens in Philadelphia this Sunday, seeks to expand awareness of risk management beyond the accepted realm of the risk professional, to help employers and the industry, in their words, “innovatively minimize risks”. It is, to me, a refreshingly innovative concept, and I look forward to seeing how their extensive agenda…
A Sign of Economic Hard Times? Prostitute Arrested For Trading Sex for Cheeseburgers
First, I must warn you this post links to an article that contains offensive language. Second, I will defend my decision to write about this because, well, it's what I do, and it beats real work. Besides, in addition to workers' compensation stuff, I write about employment related issues, and this was clearly the woman's…
Entering or Leaving the Pool, Walmart Always Makes a Big Wake
Walmart is a force to be reckoned with, no matter what the topic. When Walmart enters a community, or a new market segment, people pay attention. They are the operational and economic equivalent of a 500 pound cannonballer in the kiddy pool. Whether getting in with a splash or hauling themselves out, people are going…
No News is New News – The Upgrade of CompNewsNetwork
It has been over a week since I have had a chance to write anything in my blog. This is largely because we were busy working to install and configure improved systems to host and manage it, along with all the other news items we run on a daily basis. I am pleased to say…
Ohio Supremes Say Disabled Drug Dealing Cop was Fully Employed
The Ohio Supreme Court yesterday found that former Parma Police Officer Donald McNea could be considered to be gainfully employed by his drug dealing activities. It ordered him to repay the state for workers’ compensation payments he received from the date of his first confirmed unlawful sale of OxyContin. The court found that his activities…
Stress Claim? Flying the Unfriendly Skies When Your Pilot Crashes Without His Plane
Chalk another one up for the passengers. They told us after 9/11 that the rules of flying had changed. Never again would passengers sit idly by while someone threatened the safety of their flight. Time and time again that has proven to be true. Yesterdays JetBlue Flight 191, bound for Las Vegas from New York,…
Don’t Let That Finger Linger for the Plunder Down Under
I'm moving to Australia. From what I read of their WorkCover laws, the voices in my head could make me a very wealthy man. A woman who filed a claim for tinnitus she says was caused by excess use of her Blackberry has received $1.2 million in compensation over the last 5 years. Apparently she…
When the Saints Come Marching In, and They Are Paid to Break Your Arm
The news certainly surprised me. The National Football League yesterday issued precedent setting suspensions and fines against the New Orleans Saints for a program they developed to help create a winning strategy. That strategy? A bounty for taking an opposing player out of the game. The team actually paid players on the defensive line $1500…
Perhaps a Lack of Awareness, Not Cost Containment, Should Be Employers Biggest Concern
We've all heard the old adage, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. It could be truer nowhere else than in the world of workers' comp, employment risk and workplace safety. A recent employer survey, however, tells me that an ounce of prevention might be pretty hard to come by. A just…