From Bob's Cluttered Desk

When I lumbered out of bed this morning in Las Vegas, I had no idea that I was suddenly "somebody". My first clue was an email from Safety National’s Mark Walls, manager of the well known Work Comp Analysis Group on LinkedIn. It was a forward of a Lexis Nexis newsletter with a note that…

When we launched WorkersCompensation.com, now well over a decade ago (where does the time go?? I am clearly having too much fun) the internet was still in its infancy. Many states had yet to establish a web presence, and wireless networking was still largely theoretical. My cell phone was a Motorola Star Tac. Tablets were…

I’ve learned a couple important lessons at the Wisconsin Workers’ Compensation Forum this week. One, don’t show up at the event wearing a "Cheesehead" out of some misguided attempt at solidarity.  Apparently they only wear those things at sporting events, and they view such ingratiating attempts by Florida outsiders with a high degree of suspicion.…

An article a few days back, about a South Dakota ghost town that had been sold to a church, contained a fact that, in my view, completely sums up the pending implosion of the US Postal Service. The article quoted the only employee of the only remaining business in town. Kathy Jobgen, 50, says, in…

Occasionally, on a slow day, we like to dig through our library of statutes and regulations to see what cutting edge and innovative ideas are out there in the various jurisdictions. Sometimes we come across something we just did not anticipate. Something that you would think must be from an earlier, less informed era. But…

I've posted stories before concerning the National Workers' Compensation Defense Network (NWCDN) and the seminars they produce around the country. Next week I will be in Atlanta at their fall event, and thought it would be worth another mention here. This group does a terrific job at these seminars, and you just can't beat the…

Here is a question for you. You have a claim that needs to be submitted to your state authority for an order or approval of some sort. Would you take all of the relative claim documents; including stipulations, statement of the case, and evidence of the case, bundle them up nicely with twine, and drop…

We’ve all likely heard the stories regarding the troubled financial condition of the Illinois State Government. We've heard the jokes about the “Governors Suite” at the Illinois State Penitentiary. Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels has compared being next to Illinois to living next door to the Simpson's – “that dysfunctional family down the street”. Now there…

Recently Risk Management Monitor's Emily Holbrook wrote about the ten most dangerous jobs in America, based on information provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In a quick summary, they were: Fishermen Logging workers Airplane pilots and flight engineers Farmers and ranchers Mining machine operators Roofers Sanitation workers Truck drivers and delivery workers Industrial machine…

It was a beautiful morning here in Sarasota, FL. I had an early morning breakfast meeting at the Sarasota Quay, at the corner of US 41 and Fruitville Road. President George W. Bush was in town, and his motorcade was scheduled to pass by our location just after our meeting concluded. Having never seen a…