Workers Comp Matters

Andrew Reinhardt and Joanne Marcus discuss the benefits of pooled special needs trusts for injured workers with disabilities.

Peter Rousmaniere shares insights from his career as a workers’ comp consultant and journalist.

Dr. Vennela Thumula gives an overview of the recently published study, Interstate Variations in Dispensing of Opioids, 5th Edition.

Bogdan Savych discusses his study into how recent changes in the health insurance landscape affect outcomes for injured workers.

Alan Pierce reflects on his career spanning 50 years in the area of worker’s compensation and discusses needed changes in current systems.

Every year, the Workers Compensation Research Institute releases its CompScope Benchmarks report, measuring the performance of workers’ compensation systems across 18 states. The data found therein provides insights into how the different systems compare and reveals trends that can be invaluable to policymakers. WCRI executive vice president Ramona Tanabe joins host Alan Pierce to discuss WCRI’s work and to share some of the most interesting trends her organization is seeing in the field today.

Host Alan Pierce talks to Tom Holder about the role of drug formularies in workers’ compensation. Drug formularies are put in place by insurance companies to regulate the amount and duration of medications for injured workers. Are these helpful in lessening medical costs, or are they a burden for workers and their doctors? Alan and Tom discuss the many issues surrounding drug formularies and their pros and cons in relation to overall medical care costs and quality of care for injured workers.

Host Alan Pierce welcomes Cathy Surbeck to discuss subrogation and liens on third party settlements. Subrogation refers to instances where an insurance company steps into the injured worker’s shoes to sue a third party. They explain the variables involved in these matters and give specific examples of how processes differ in various states.

In this episode, host Alan Pierce talks to Karla Zarbo, an assistant attorney general in the fair labor division of the Massachusetts office of Attorney General Maura Healey. They discuss wage theft and its related issues and talk about the processes involved in investigating the many types of wage complaints. They also discuss the challenges immigrants face in receiving fair wages and what protections are in place for this particularly vulnerable group of workers.

To have a deep understanding of workers’ compensation, lawyers need to know how it has evolved in our country. In this episode, host Alan Pierce talks to John F. Burton, Jr. about his career as a workers’ compensation expert, which has spanned over 50 years. They discuss the history of workers’ compensation, outlining its legal evolution through different political and economic eras in the United States.