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…
Workers' Comp Safety Training Lesson Number 2: How Not to Feed a Python
It can be said at times that the most effective training lesson can be accomplished by showing people what not to do. And when that demonstration results in a bone crushing near death experience, you can be certain that the trainees in your charge will be taking voluminous mental notes in order to protect themselves…
The Workers' Comp Payola Pandemic: Rampant Graft and Corruption Isn't All It's Cracked Up to Be
I have been wanting to write this article for a few days, and in fact intended to do so next week. However, a session yesterday at the California Workers’ Compensation and Risk Conference in Dana Point, CA, has compelled me to do so now. The panel, assembled to discuss the current status of workers’ compensation…
Texas DWC Steps In; Amputee Gets Benefits Reprieve (For Now)
The Texas Division of Workers' Compensation stepped into the case of Jane Hays last Friday, issuing an Interlocutory Order requiring Texas Political Subdivisions (TPS) to start paying her benefits, including indemnity payments and “reasonable and necessary medical care”. The extremely rare order was given after the TPS denial of her claim received national media attention.…
A Note From Dana Point
Technically, as I write this I am not in Dana Point. Rather, I am on a plane bound for Dana Point and the annual California Workers’ Compensation and Risk Conference that is running from today through October 2nd. I am scheduled to appear on a bloggers panel this Thursday. I’ve done numerous “National Bloggers” panels…