Have you ever thought about whether you could live on your state's temporary total disability (TTD) benefits if you had a workers' compensation injury? It's a scary thought. The benefits in most states have formulas that begin with an injured worker's average weekly wage based on the prior 52 weeks' wages and multiply it by 66 2/3%. Then the resulting amount cannot exceed the maximum weekly wage for TTD benefits…
A 2021 Harvard Business School newsletter encouraged business leaders to take the long -term view rather than concentrating on quick returns. This is sound advice for several aspects of the medical component of workers' compensation, three of which are discussed below. First. Medical care is a major component of the total cost of workers' compensation. Policymakers have accepted that medical fee schedules help reduce medical costs in workers' compensation and…
Comments from last week illustrated the substantial difference that the choices about physicians can make in workers' compensation. This point was also made in a presentation at the recent IAIABC Forum. Dr. James Talmage, a well-known authority on medical care for workers' compensation injuries, spoke about “Working with Physicians to Achieve Return to Work.” His talk included some of the complexities of medical care that plague workers' compensation. He also…
The first edition of the It's Complicated blog began an exchange of ideas about what workers' compensation is and what it could be. The dialogue started with four questions. The responses to the questions were thought-provoking and raised even more questions. The responses are summarized below. The Definition of “Injury” The first question was basic ? what is a workers' compensation injury? ? and it had four possible answers. The…
A day rarely goes by when emails, social media, blogs, and news articles don't discuss workers' compensation – what's wrong with it, or what can “fix” some part of it. But there is no universal agreement on what “it” should be. Equally troubling, no consistent platform has existed from which the workers' compensation community can have a dialogue about issues the industry faces. The purpose of this blog is to…
At the California Coalition of Workers' Compensation Conference in Anaheim a couple of weeks back, one of the presenters made a comment that resonated with me. The topic was related to innovative claims management practices and had shifted to discussions of return to work and the role of physicians. One of the panelists made an emphatic point of being tired of being given a list of restrictions related to the…
Accidents can happen in the blink of an eye, as can other mistakes in the workplace. A recent minor mishap reminded me that when an error or accident occurs, the best thing you can do is accept the reality and roll with it as best you can. Sometimes, literally. It is a maneuver based on something I call “the art of the tumble.” I traveled to Wisconsin this weekend to…
We have written before about the misaligned incentives often found in workers' compensation. I have referred to it as “treating injured workers for fun and profit,” reflecting situations where actions and processes are applied that may not be in the best interest of the worker, but financially benefit the people who are supposed to be helping them. There is a great deal of responsibility upon those of us in the…
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