 Pre-Conference Symposium
Tools to Develop Your Workers’ Compensation
Program and Handbook
Sue Wetherington, Owner, President, G.S. & S and
Associates, St. Augustine, Fla.
Tuesday, Nov. 18, 1 – 5 p.m.
The key to a well-run workers’ comp program is having everything you need at your fingertips — and a comprehensive workers’ comp handbook tailored to your agency and program can make all the difference. Come join us the afternoon before the official conference begins to get specific guidance and all the necessary tools to complete your own customized workers' comp program handbook.
In this half-day session, Ms. Wetherington will detail the responsibilities of everyone involved in the workers' comp process and guide you through building your own handbook. She'll review the required Department of Labor forms and provide you with completed ones — with accompanying explanations — to use as templates. What's more, she'll share with you samples of correspondence to doctors, letters offering light duty assignments to claimants, models of formal job offers and much more.
Opening Keynote
The Great Workers' Comp Debate ’08
Panel of Leading Workers' Compensation Experts
Moderator: Mark Noonan, Workers' Compensation Practice Leader,
Marsh USA, Boston
Wednesday, Nov. 19, 8:45 - 10 a.m.
There are two sides to every story, and at least two opinions on every workers’ comp and disability challenge. For the first time, you’ll have the chance to hear leading experts debate the most controversial issues in the industry. Eight of the top minds in workers’ comp and disability square off — two at a time — in a point/counterpoint format. After each debate, you'll have the opportunity to pose your questions to the experts.
 Understanding the Ins and Outs of FECA
Gary Myers, Workers’ Compensation Program Manager, Office of the Chief
Human Capital Officer, Department of Homeland Security, Washington, D.C.
Wednesday, Nov. 19, 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 20, 1:30 - 2:45 p.m.
Your success in navigating the federal workers’ comp system depends on your understanding of the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA). You’ll have better results, save your agency precious time and money, and get injured workers back on the job as quickly as possible — if you know what to do, when and how. Mr. Myers will show you the tricks of the trade on FECA and answer your questions!
 Strategies for Employing and Re-employing Wounded Veterans
Richard Pimentel, Senior Partner, Milt Wright & Associates, Granada Hills, Calif.
Sue Wetherington, Owner, President, G.S. & S and Associates, St. Augustine,
Fla.
Wednesday, Nov. 19, 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Every day many of our brave men and women return from fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, looking to get back to their jobs or seeking first-time civilian employment. But those who have been physically and/or psychologically injured often cannot return to their previous duties and are instead sent to recover at military treatment facilities. Integrating them into your agency can be more difficult than you may think. What are your legal requirements? What are the expectations of agencies? How do you overcome the attitudinal challenges these veterans might face from your employees? Mr. Pimentel, with his vast knowledge of the workers’ comp arena coupled with his experience as a war veteran, and Ms. Wetherington, a veteran of the Army National Guard and its workers’ comp system, will bring you insight and strategies to honor these war veterans by successfully employing them in your agency.
Awards Luncheon and Keynote:
Risk & Insurance® Magazine's Theodore Roosevelt
Workers' Compensation and Disability Management Awards
Wednesday, Nov. 19, 12:15 - 1:15 p.m.
Join us in honoring the winners of Risk & Insurance® Magazine's best workers' compensation and disability programs of the year. These awards honor President Theodore Roosevelt, who pioneered the first federal workers' compensation legislation in the United States.
Entertainment:
Laugh ’Til it Hurts
Greg Schwem, Corporate Comedian
Wednesday, Nov. 19, 1:15 – 2 p.m.
Get ready to laugh with corporate comedian Greg Schwem as he shares with you a lighthearted look at today's workers’ comp and disability industries and the way business is conducted in the private and federal sectors.
Beyond Bad Handwriting:
How to Understand and Use
Medical Documentation to Better Manage Claims
Marianne Cloeren, M.D., M.P.H., Medical Director, Managed Care Advisors Inc.,
Bethesda, Md.
Carol Kuhr, OWCP Coordinator, Transportation Security Administration,
O'Hare International Airport, Chicago
Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2:45 - 4 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 20, 3:30 - 4:45 p.m.
Medical documentation is essential to managing workers’ comp claims. You'll better understand what sort of follow-up to expect, the prognosis for full recovery, and whether disability is related to the claim with a critical review of the medical documentation. But most agencies don't take advantage of the right to request and review medical records. In this interactive session, you'll have a chance to work with your peers, as well as a physician and a workers’ comp coordinator, to identify problems in case studies and their supporting medical records and chargeback reports. Additionally, you'll discuss the critical review process, optimal use of the records, and strategies for obtaining cooperation and records from medical offices.
How to Prevent Re-injuring a Returning Workers’ Comp Claimant
Cindy Roth, CEO, Ergonomic Technologies Corp., Syosset, N.Y.
Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2:45 - 4 p.m.
Picture this: A worker who has been out on workers’ comp for a shoulder injury returns to his job — only to suffer the same or a more serious ailment. Sound familiar? According to Ms. Roth, an expert in safety and ergonomics, that’s par for the course — but it can be prevented. With proper training and simple work station changes, your injured workers can return to the workforce and thrive. In this session, you’ll have the opportunity to work with your peers and Ms. Roth to gain better insight into how you can make sure returning workers’ comp claimants stay on the job.
The 5 Requirements to Getting Your Workers’ Comp Claims Accepted
Sue Wetherington, Owner, President, G.S. & S and Associates,
St. Augustine, Fla.
Thursday, Nov. 20, 8:45 - 10 a.m.
Friday, Nov. 21, 8:45 - 10 a.m.
There’s a recipe you must follow to make sure the Department of Labor accepts your workers’ comp claims. While you can’t prevent a claimant from filing the claim, you can stop the dispute from going anywhere. Issues such as timeliness of the filing, performance of duty and the causal relationship need to be established. Ms. Wetherington, a former workers' compensation manager with the Army National Guard, will give you all the ingredients you need — and the order you must follow — to make sure your claims sail through the process.
How to Use Early Intervention to Dramatically Reduce Your
Workers’ Compensation Costs and Claim Filings
Gary Myers, Workers’ Compensation Program Manager, Office of the Chief
Human Capital Officer, Department of Homeland Security, Washington, D.C.
Thursday, Nov. 20, 8:45 - 10 a.m.
The Transportation Security Administration reduced its claims filings by 20 percent and cut its chargebacks by $17 million — resulting in a $3.3 million reduction over their prior year’s cost. How? By using nurse case managers to intervene early in the process before claims were even filed in the federal workers’ comp system. Here’s your chance to learn how the TSA did it and how you can do the same for your agency.
Keynote:
Behavioral Risk in the Workplace: Its Causes, Effects and Solutions
Dr. Jeffrey P. Kahn, CEO, WorkPsych Associates; Clinical Associate Professor
of Psychiatry, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, Ithaca,, N.Y.
Thursday, Nov. 20, 10:45 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Mental health issues are among the most common — and most misunderstood — sources of workplace disability. Depression has reached near epidemic proportions, along with absenteeism and presenteeism, leaving many employers wondering what they can do. Dr. Kahn will offer you a unique insight into the root causes of mental health issues, based on his yearlong analysis of a particular employer. More importantly, he’ll show you how you can manage some of the mental health challenges in your workplace.
Strategies to Devise a Foolproof Job Offer
Sue Wetherington, Owner, President, G.S. & S and Associates,
St. Augustine, Fla.
Thursday, Nov. 20, 1:30 - 2:45 p.m.
Writing a suitable job offer is a critical part of returning an injured employee to the federal workforce. But beware of the details. It’s easy to miss a dotted “i” or a crossed ”t” every now and then. If you omit the date of injury or fail to provide all the information needed, your job offer will be rejected — costing your agency precious time and money. Ms. Wetherington will walk you through the process and answer your toughest questions to ensure you always meet OWCP requirements for suitable job offers.
How Recent Case Law Can Help You Succeed
Alan J. Shapiro, Attorney, Shapiro, Shapiro & Shapiro, Shaker Heights, Ohio
Elizabeth Morrow, Legal Editor, cyberFEDS®, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Thursday, Nov. 20, 3:30 - 4:45 p.m.
Staying abreast of the latest Employees’ Compensation Appeals Board (ECAB) decisions is critical to properly process a workers' comp claim in the federal sector. In addition to updating you on the latest top cases, Mr. Shapiro and Ms. Morrow will give you insight into how the decisions could affect you — so you understand the development of legal precedent. They’ll discuss whether the board is trying to develop a common law of federal workers’ comp and whether that means you can establish a predictable outcome to fact situations.
Medical Exam Role Play: How to Better Manage
Your Injury Claims Through Medical Knowledge
Dr. David C. Bachman, National Medical Administrator,
U.S. Postal Service, Tucson, Ariz.
Friday, Nov. 21, 8:45 - 10 a.m. (Part I)
Friday, Nov. 21, 10:15 - 11:30 a.m. (Part II)
Ever wonder what happens during a physical exam of an injured worker? Have claimants complained to you that the medical provider didn’t really do anything? Here’s your chance to witness an actual medical exam up close and personal. In this double session, Dr. Bachman will demonstrate a physical exam on our “model” patient while explaining every step he takes. You’ll gain unprecedented insight into the procedures used to assess an injured worker, enabling you to more accurately judge when claimants are ready to return to work.
Navigating the Federal Workers’ Comp System
Panel of Federal Workers’ Comp Experts
Friday, Nov. 21, 10:15 - 11:30 a.m.
Don't scratch your head any longer trying to figure out how to plod through the federal workers’ comp system. In this interactive session, our panel of workers’ comp authorities will answer your toughest questions. You’ll leave with a plethora of tools to address your most pressing workers’ comp challenges.
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