Pre-Conference Symposium
15 Strategies to Navigate the Federal Workers’ Compensation System
Jim Bishop, Vice President, Operations, GS&S and Associates, Austin, Texas
Bobbi Harvey, Human Resource Specialist, Kansas National Guard, Topeka
Sue Wetherington, Owner, President, GS&S and Associates, St. Augustine, Fla.

Monday, Nov. 8 | 1 - 4:30 p.m.

Have you ever wished for a lifeline when managing your FECA program? Whether it’s because your agency is short-staffed, you’re new to the system, or you encounter a situation you’ve never seen before, everyone could use a lifeline at one time or another. In this half-day symposium, our experts will explore 15 strategies to tackle your toughest workers’ comp challenges. They’ll teach you how to establish and track realistic program goals, achieve those goals by matching them with the right tools, build the program by implementing successful case management techniques, and much more. Mastering these key strategies will lead to smoother sailing as you navigate the federal workers’ comp process.

Pre-conference symposium requires separate registration and fee.

Opening General Session:
Invisible Barriers: How Communication Styles Impact Workers’ Compensation Outcomes
Richard Pimentel, Senior Partner, Milt Wright & Associates, Inc., Granada Hills, Calif.

Monday, Nov. 8 | 5:15 - 6:30 p.m.

Does the way you communicate with your injured workers and other key players in the workers’ comp process undermine your disability management and return-to-work efforts? This interactive presentation will explore common workers’ compensation scenarios among agency personnel and injured employees, medical care providers, supervisors and coworkers. Mr. Pimentel, with help from some colleagues, will demonstrate different communication styles in hypothetical situations and discuss the expected positive or negative results on the return-to-work process.

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General Session
60 Tips in 60 Minutes
Michael Coupland, CPsych, CRC, Psychologist, West Palm Beach, Fla.
Martin Kaplan, Attorney, Kaplan Law Office, Raleigh, N.C.
Eleanor Laws, Administrative Law Judge, Social Security Administration, Portland, Ore.
Gary D. Myers, Program Manager/Policy Advisor, Department of Homeland Security
     Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
Ralph Slighter, Deputy Division Chief, Department of Defense/Civilian Personnel      Management Service, Injury and Unemployment Compensation Division, Arlington, Va.
Sue Wetherington, Owner, President, GS&S and Associates, St. Augustine, Fla.
Moderator: Elizabeth A. Morrow, Special Projects Editor, cyberFEDS^®/LRP Publications,      Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Tuesday, Nov. 9 | 8:30 - 9:45 a.m.

In this fun, fast-paced session, our panel of federal workers' compensation experts will start the day with 60 valuable and practical tips you can take back to your agency. From guidance on how to build relationships with medical providers and OWCP to the benefits of keeping in touch with injured employees and maintaining accurate records, each expert will have 60 seconds to present a useful pointer from six categories using a round-robin format. If they go longer than 60 seconds Well, you'll see!

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Awards Luncheon & Entertainment

Wednesday, Nov. 10  |  12:15 - 2 p.m.

Find out which federal agency is honored this year!

Join us in honoring the winners of Risk & Insurance® Magazine's best workers' compensation programs of the year in the federal and private sectors. Recognizing excellence and innovation in the workers' comp and disability communities, these awards honor President Theodore Roosevelt, who pioneered the first federal workers'compensation legislation in the United States.

Special Entertainment — The Agile Comedy of Chris Bliss

Sit back, relax and enjoy the special entertainment of Chris Bliss, who Jay Leno calls “one of the brightest comedians around.” Chris delivers smart comedy for the information age. Insightful humor, capped off with a world-class finale you won’t forget!

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-1: Basic Claims Development
Sue Wetherington, Owner, President, GS&S and Associates, St. Augustine, Fla.

Tuesday, Nov. 9 | 10:15 - 11:30 a.m.

You just learned that one of your employees has suffered an on-the-job injury. What do you do first? Do you know which forms you should use? Do you have a checklist to ensure the employee meets each element required for a FECA claim? Agencies must ensure that notices of injury and claims for compensation are processed timely and accurately, and cannot prevent employees from filing claims under any circumstances. Ms. Wetherington will take you through the critical early stages of the claims process, helping you avoid common mistakes that can derail your plan of action.

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-1: How Ergonomic Adjustments Can Drastically Reduce
                Repetitive Stress Injuries
Dinah Cohen, Director, Department of Defense, Computer/Electronics Accommodations
     Program, Falls Church, Va.
Sharon Terrell-Lindsay, Senior Program Analyst, Department of Defense,
     Computer/Electronics Accommodations Program, Falls Church, Va.

Tuesday, Nov. 9 | 10:15 - 11:30 a.m.

The Department of Defense Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP) provides assistive technology and services to federal employees with disabilities, federal managers, supervisors, and IT professionals. CAP representatives will offer their expertise on how assistive technology and proper ergonomics can decrease lost work time and absenteeism, increase productivity, and improve the morale and well-being of workers.

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-2: Challenging Claims and Controverting Continuation
               of Pay
Jim Bishop, Vice President, Operations, GS&S and Associates, Austin, Texas

Tuesday, Nov. 9 | 12:45 - 2 p.m.

Questionable workers’ compensation claims can drain an agency’s resources and negatively impact employee morale. Learn how to identify red flag indicators that may warrant further investigation, such as delayed injury reports, failure to seek medical treatment and discrepancies about the cause of the injury. Plus, discover when to controvert an employee’s claim for continuation of pay and how to write the challenge effectively.

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-2: ECAB Case Law and Regulatory Update
Eleanor Laws, Administrative Law Judge, Social Security Administration, Portland, Ore. Elizabeth A. Morrow, Special Projects Editor, cyberFEDS^®/LRP Publications, Palm Beach
     Gardens, Fla.

Tuesday, Nov. 9 | 12:45 - 2 p.m.

No time to keep up with the goings-on at the Employees’ Compensation Appeals Board? No worries! Ms. Laws and Ms. Morrow will highlight the most significant ECAB rulings from the past year and provide insights into how and why some decisions were issued. You’ll learn how ECAB analyzes key issues, such as performance of duty, causal relationship and compensability of emotional condition claims. Ms. Laws and Ms. Morrow will also take you through recently proposed regulations that will amend the FECA and discuss how these changes may affect you.

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-3: Entitlement to Benefits
Sue Wetherington, Owner, President, GS&S and Associates, St. Augustine, Fla.

Tuesday, Nov. 9 | 2:30 - 3:45 p.m.

FECA provides for many different types of benefits for work-related injuries. But entitlement to one type of benefit does not guarantee entitlement to others. For example, the right to medical benefits for an accepted condition does not always track the period of entitlement to monetary compensation for wage-loss. Ms. Wetherington will explain the various types of benefits available under FECA, including continuation of pay, wage-loss compensation, medical expenses, schedule awards for permanent impairment, and death benefits, plus discuss which forms should be used when requesting these benefits and entitlements.

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-3: The Devil’s in the Details: How to Maximize Your
                Medical Information
Marianne Cloeren, M.D., M.P.H., FACOEM, Medical Director, Managed Care Advisors, Inc.,
     Bethesda, Md.

Tuesday, Nov. 9 | 2:30 - 3:45 p.m.

Many decisions are based on medical documentation, including controverting continuation of pay, whether the medical facts support the OWCP’s acceptance of a claim, and the degree of disability. Although OWCP claims examiners have the ultimate authority, federal agencies should not be passive bystanders in the process. Dr. Cloeren will describe how agencies can ensure that medical documentation is meaningful, comprehensible and relevant to the questions in the case. Plus, she'll outline successful strategies for gaining cooperation from doctors, engaging the claims examiner in developing medical evidence, and maximizing use of agency medical exams, clinical reviews and other resources.

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-4: The Medical Piece of the Puzzle
Ralph Slighter, Deputy Division Chief, Department of Defense/Civilian Personnel
     Management Service, Injury and Unemployment Compensation Division, Arlington, Va.

Tuesday, Nov. 9 | 4 - 5:15 p.m.

Communicating with doctors’ offices, authorizing medical treatment and determining who can access medical reports can be a painstaking process. Agencies must obtain current medical restrictions, prepare letters to doctors that properly describe the information they need, and determine the next step in managing a case once that medical evidence is received. Mr. Slighter will provide a broad overview of medical management issues, explain what is expected of you in your dealings with the medical community, and guide you through steps to improve the management of your cases while still protecting employees’ Privacy Act rights.

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-4: FECA Feud
Jim Bishop, Vice President, Operations, GS&S and Associates, Austin, Texas
Bobbi Harvey, Human Resource Specialist, Kansas National Guard, Topeka

Tuesday, Nov. 9 | 4 - 5:15 p.m.

How much do you know about the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act? Match your skills against your colleagues’ in this fun, interactive session loosely modeled after the popular television game shows Family Feud and Jeopardy!

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-5: Intensive Case Management
Gary D. Myers, Program Manager/Policy Advisor, Department of Homeland Security
     Headquarters, Washington, D.C.

Wednesday, Nov. 10 | 8:45 - 10 a.m.

Many workers’ compensation claims seem to just tread water after the initial stages, with valuable time and resources wasted while agencies decide what to do next. Being proactive during this key period can have numerous benefits, not only for the agency but for the injured employee and co-workers. Is the agency keeping in touch with workers while they recuperate? Are the medical records and restrictions up to date? Has the employee been referred for vocational rehabilitation services? What is the agency doing to identify and/or create light-duty work? Mr. Myers will show you how to carry out these responsibilities, plus guide you through this critical transition period and provide best practices for moving the claim forward.

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-5: “You’re Doing What!?” Revisiting Injury Prevention and
                 Return-to-Work Practices Under the “New” ADA
Frank Alvarez, Partner, Jackson Lewis LLP, White Plains, N.Y.
Richard Pimentel, Senior Partner, Milt Wright & Associates, Inc., Granada Hills, Calif.

Wednesday, Nov. 10 | 8:45 - 10 a.m.

With the ADA Amendments Act now protecting many more individuals with temporarily disabling injuries or illnesses, injury prevention and return to work programs are being scrutinized more closely than ever. Mr. Pimentel and Mr. Alvarez will examine employment practices that are likely to draw legal challenges and suggest ways to modify or construct such programs to ensure they comply with operational and legal objectives. 

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-6: Suspending/Terminating Compensation
Melvin Mitchell, Human Resources Specialist, Office of Human Capital, Transportation
     Security Administration Headquarters, Arlington, Va.

Wednesday, Nov. 10 | 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

Once the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs accepts a claim, it can suspend or terminate compensation for a number of reasons. Some are tied to the employee’s misconduct, such as refusal of a suitable job offer, while others are simply a reflection of the medical evidence. Mr. Mitchell will explain circumstances under which compensation can be suspended or terminated and address some of the challenges OWCP faces when trying to do so.

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-6: Managing Psychosocial Risk Factors for Chronic Pain
                and Delayed Recovery
Marianne Cloeren, M.D., M.P.H., FACOEM, Medical Director, Managed Care Advisors, Inc.,
     Bethesda, Md.
Michael Coupland, CPsych, CRC, Psychologist, West Palm Beach, Fla.

Wednesday, Nov. 10 | 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

An employee who suffers a work-related injury may experience an escalation to chronic pain in just a few weeks. How does this happen and how can agencies prevent it? Dr. Coupland will discuss the six most common and costly nonmedical factors associated with chronic pain and delayed recovery — information you can use to work with the treating physician early in the process to get the employee to maximum medical improvement and back to work. Dr. Cloeren will discuss successful strategies for obtaining cooperation from the treatment provider and facilitating access to specialists who can intervene to prevent escalation to disability.

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-7: Workers’ Comp Coalition
Facilitators:
Michael Coupland, CPsych, CRC, Psychologist, West Palm Beach, Fla.
Barbara DeGray, R.N., CRRN, Director, Managed Care Advisors, Inc., Bethesda, Md.
Martin Kaplan, Attorney, Kaplan Law Office, Raleigh, N.C.
Ralph Slighter, Deputy Division Chief, Department of Defense/Civilian Personnel
     Management Service, Injury and Unemployment Compensation Division, Arlington, Va.
Sue Wetherington, Owner, President, GS&S and Associates, St. Augustine, Fla.

Wednesday, Nov. 10 | 2:45 - 3:45 p.m.

Collaborate with your peers and experts from the field in this interactive discussion group. Facilitators will be on hand to get the discussion rolling, but your ideas and questions will drive the conversation. So kick back, share your iinsights, listen to the challenges your peers are facing and get feedback from our experts.

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-7: Getting Managers to Get With the Program
Gary D. Myers, Program Manager/Policy Advisor, Department of Homeland Security
     Headquarters, Washington, D.C.

Wednesday, Nov. 10 | 2:45 - 3:45 p.m.

A workers’ compensation program is only as good as the individuals who run it. If a manager isn’t committed to the success of the program — or resists efforts to reform it — you’ve got a recipe for disaster. Agencies that have made strides in reducing workplace injuries, lowering their costs and returning injured employees to work have one critical element in common: buy-in from all levels of management. Mr. Myers will describe strategies agencies can use to get management on board, including setting clear goals and expectations, conducting frequent briefings and meetings with team members, and ensuring that managers receive the training they need.