Workers Comp Matters

Peter Rousmaniere shares insights from his career as a workers’ comp consultant and journalist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Vennela Thumula gives an overview of the recently published study, Interstate Variations in Dispensing of Opioids, 5th Edition. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bogdan Savych discusses his study into how recent changes in the health insurance landscape affect outcomes for injured workers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alan Pierce reflects on his career spanning 50 years in the area of worker’s compensation and discusses needed changes in current systems. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 w...

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...

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adch...

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 protec...

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...

By 2019 millennials will outnumber Baby Boomers in the United States. The amount of American workers working for themselves is expected to triple to 42 million by 2020 with 42% of them estimated to be millennials. Guest host, Judson Pierce is joined by Ryan Benharris of the Law Offices of Deborah G. Kohl, as they explore the millennial aka the “Cut Back Generation”, discuss the gig economy, millen...

Nurse case managers are often viewed with some suspicion by claimants and their lawyers, but a wider perspective is needed to understand the virtues of their profession. Host Alan Pierce talks to Justin Beck about his paper, “Nursing The Wound: The Law and Ethics of Disability Management in Workers Compensation.” They discuss the role of nurse case managers and highlight the ways they promote syne...

The AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment is used in workers’ compensation to rate impairment, but the most recent edition is causing some to question its reliability. Host Alan Pierce debates with Chris Brigham about the sixth edition of the AMA Guides Impairment. They cover the primary objectives of both sides and highlight the difference between impairment and disability, includi...

Employees who are confronted by workers’ compensation claims for the first time can be overwhelmed by the legal process, but attorneys are there to help. Host Alan Pierce talks to certified specialist Bob Wisniewski about the experience of a workers’ compensation attorney and the most common reasons why an injured worker would seek out legal representation for a claim. Learn more about your ad cho...

Massachusetts’ Department of Industrial Accident (DIA) is launching a two year pilot program called the Opioid Alternative Treatment Pathway (OATP). This program will allow attorneys, judges, and injured workers within the DIA system quicker access to medical professionals in the case of opioid dependency. Host Alan Pierce talks to Judge Omar Hernández about the program, how it works, and how it h...

Are there any situations in which an injured student athlete could be awarded workers’ compensation? In this episode of Workers Comp Matters, host Alan Pierce talks to Taylor O’Toole about the debate on whether student athletes at larger universities should be considered employees and, as such, should be entitled to workers’ comp. To cover the topic they take a look at significant cases that have...

Host Alan Pierce talks to Rick Victor about the major changes the workers compensation system has experienced and the new conflicts injured workers are dealing with. They also look to the future and attempt to interpret how the appeal of Obamacare, the labor shortage, and the current immigration policies will affect the workers’ comp industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/a...

Alan Pierce talks to Erica Groshen, head of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, about the trends that characterize the future of the U.S. workforce and how robotics and artificial intelligence will also have an impact on employment. Some of the trends they discuss include the fuzzy definition of what an employee is, a growing gig economy, and independent contractors versus traditional employment....

“Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.” - George Beilin When chronic pain hits it feels like the most important thing in your life, but it doesn’t have to control you. In this episode of Workers Comp Matters, host Alan Pierce talks to George Beilin about the different methods of measuring pain and the importance of coping with pain in a healthy way. George also shares his personal experience...

For those who work at Planned Parenthood, there is increased risk of assault and harassment within the workplace, but if employees are attacked are they covered by workers’ compensation? In this episode of Workers Comp Matters, host Alan Pierce talks to Kyle Black about what is legally considered a hate crime and the various factors and risks that affect whether or not a hate crime case meets the...

Workers’ compensation is one area of law that’s constantly adapting to the society around it. Some of the changes it goes through are for the better, while others are challenged by both injured workers and the attorneys that represent them. In this episode of Workers Comp Matters, host Alan Pierce talks to Michael Gruber about the controversial changes to New York’s workers’ comp rules that were p...

Representing professional athletes as a workers’ compensation lawyer comes with its own unique set of challenges. In this episode of Workers Comp Matters, host Alan Pierce talks to Gerry Carney about some of these challenges including the jurisdictional aspects of a case that can maximize or minimize benefits. Gerry also discusses some of the Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) and head injury...

For people with long term medical conditions that are expected to keep them from working for more than a year, Social Security will sometimes pay disability benefits. In this episode of Workers Comp Matters, host Alan Pierce talks to Janice Skillings-Goff about social security disability claims including who’s qualified to make these claims, eligibility requirements, and what to do if a social sec...

In 2011, opera singer Wendy White fell from a platform eight feet above the stage during a performance. She suffered no broken bones, but resulting nerve damage prevented her from singing professionally and, because of these injuries, she moved to sue. But the Metropolitan opera claimed she was an employee that was simply doing her normal duties. Her case reflects some of the complexities surround...

In the age-old battle of employee versus vending machine, who wins workers’ comp? In this episode of Workers Comp Matters, host Judson Pierce talks to Alan Pierce about personal comfort doctrine including what it is, factors that affect the outcome, and what acts are not compensable (like punching vending machines). They also discuss interesting personal comfort doctrine cases and why each case is...

In this episode of Workers Comp Matters, host Judd Pierce talks to Alan Pierce about workers’ compensation laws that are affected by constitutional law. Their conversation dives into notable cases that speak to this issue and how this issue has developed over the years, including how the judiciary, particularly the appellate courts, get involved. Special thanks to our sponsors, Casepacer and PInow...