Workers’
Become a Certified Workers’ Compensation Professional (CWCP)
Program
Certification
Compensation
Workers’Compensation
Certification Program
THE WORKERS’ COMPENSATION CENTER
SCHOOL OF LABOR & INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
Presents:
- Principles of Disability Law
- Claims Management
- Insurance & Self-Insurance
- Safety, Disability Prevention & Management Issues
- Medical Issues
• August 20-24, 2007
Traverse City, Michigan
• September 10-14, 2007
St. Louis, Missouri
• September 24-28, 2007
Princeton, New Jersey
• October 15-19, 2007
Atlanta, Georgia
• Oct. 29-Nov. 2, 2007
East Lansing, Michigan
• November 12-16, 2007
San Diego, California
www.lir.msu.edu/wcc
August - November, 2007
*
The seminar in Princeton, New
Jersey is a special version of this
program offered jointly with Rutgers
University. The Principles of
Disability Law session will focus on
the distinctive features of New
Jersey law as well as national legal
principles. The rest of the program
will remain the same as the other
offerings. In addition to the the
CWCP from MSU, attendees will
be recognized as certified New
Jersey WC professionals by
Rutgers University. (Call
732-274-0600 for details.) The other
seminars wil not focus on the
law of any one state but teach
principles that apply across the
country.
Why Certify?
Professionals from all parts of the workers’ compensation field including claims handlers,
attorneys, physicians, rehabilitation counselors, nurses, therapists, agents, and union
representatives will find this program helpful. It is recommended for people employed
by individual employers both insured and self-insured, insurance companies, third-party
administrators, agents, brokers and state agencies. Attendees should have experience in
some area of workers’ compensation and be familiar with workers’ compensation law in
at least one jurisdiction.
Workers’ compensation professionals need specialized knowledge and skills. Until we
started this program, no one had tried to organize the knowledge and skills one should
possess to be effective in this area.
Since 1991, Ed Welch and others have been teaching outreach courses for the School of
Labor & Industrial Relations at Michigan State University. The attendees have come
from all over the country and have included people from all the fields listed above.
Often, individuals have asked for a certificate indicating that they successfully completed
the course.
In response to this, we have prepared this comprehensive national program that covers
all the important elements of workers’ compensation and includes an evaluation procedure
to certify its successful completion.
Since 1999, over 2,000 workers’ compensation professionals, from every state and the
District of Columbia, have spent a week:
• Learning about the law
• Hearing from experts about best practices
• Sharing stories with colleagues
• Reviewing comprehensive manuals
They have then been recognized as Certified Workers’ Compensation Professionals.
Individuals who complete the course, take part in discussions and exercises, and pass a
series of examinations are recognized by Michigan State University as Certified Workers’
Compensation Professionals. They are entitled to use the designation CWCP after their
name.
Designation
Who Should Attend?
Note: The days on which the seminar topics are taught may vary.
• Discuss all important aspects of workers’ compensation.
• Share experiences and learn from a diverse group of workers’ compensation
professionals.
• Take home a set of comprehensive reference materials.
• Interact with knowledgeable instructors who are leaders in the field of workers’
compensation.
Tuesday and
Wednesday
Claims Management
SCHEDULE
The first day covers the workers’ compensation system including the basic principles of
state workers’ compensation laws. It doesn’t teach the law of any specific state but instead
points individuals to the questions they must ask to understand the law in their state. The
session also examines the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Family and Medical
Leave Act.
Monday’s segment also briefly reviews the history of workers’ compensation and the
basic economic issues involved.
Topics include:
Monday and
Tuesday
Principles
Of Disability Law
• History of Workers’ Compensation
• Economic Issues
• Coverage
• Exclusive Remedy and
Party Cases
• Arising Out Of
and In The Course Of
• The Causal Issue
• Disability Benefits
• Medical Benefits
• Vocational Rehabilitation Benefits
• Procedures
• Americans with Disabilities Act
• The Family and Medical Leave Act
Tuesday and Wednesday cover the steps for managing a claim from beginning to end; the
procedures for handling routine claims; and problem issues including litigation,
settle-ments, and attorneys. This portion is rich with handouts including checklists and forms
that attendees can use in their workplace.
Early return-to-work is one of the most successful strategies employers can use in dealing
with workers’ compensation. We discuss the reasoning behind this approach and
pro-vide specific details for creating a RTW program.
These two days examine:
Claims Management
• Claim Reporting
• Employer Response to a Claim
• Creating a Claim File
• Investigating a Claim
• Choosing Medical Providers
• Controlling Medical Costs
• Paying Benefits
• Setting Reserves
• Using Vocational Rehabilitation
Note: The days on which the seminar topics are taught may vary.
• Handling Disputed Claims
• Dealing with Judges and Attorneys
• Settlements
• Return-to-Work
- Designing a Program
- Limitation
- Implementation
- Time Limits
- Making It Work
The insurance and self-insurance portion outlines the various alternatives, their
advan-tages and disadvanadvan-tages.
Insurance & Self-Insurance
• How insurance prices are set
• How to get the best price
• Alternatives for insurance and self-insurance
• How to get good service from an insurance company or third-party administrator
Thursday
Insurance &
Self-Insurance
Friday
Medical Issues
• Disability Prevention
- Human Resource Management
- Wellness
- Repetitive Trauma Disorders
- Management Commitment
Thursday
Safety, Disability
Prevention, &
Management Issues
Thursday includes a discussion of the latest strategies for preventing injuries. The best
employers have moved beyond the traditional safety contests and now focus on hazards
and near misses. We discuss how they do this.
Disability prevention involves the entire structure of a business. It includes wellness,
employee selection practices, fraud prevention, and perhaps most important of all,
man-agement commitment.
This day’s highlights include:
• Safety and Prevention
- Training Programs
- Safety Committees
- Safety Incentives
- Incident Investigation
Friday gives practitioners a basic understanding of the medical issues related to workers’
compensation. It teaches practitioners how to review and understand medical reports,
recognize the severity and importance of certain diagnoses, have a reasonable
understanding of what treatment is appropriate, and build skills in dealing with doctors
and other healthcare providers. The session includes a videotape of a physician performing
a back examination on a claimant.
Topics covered include:
• An Introduction to Medical Terminology
• A Review of Body Systems
• Back Injuries
• Anatomy
• Common Disabilities
• Prognosis
• Appropriate Treatment
• Cause
• Injuries to the Hand and Arm
• Injuries to the Knee
• Heart Disease
• Lung Disease
• Psychiatric Disabilities
What attendees say
about our program:
“The entire week-long
program was the best I
have attended. It was
comprehensive,
understandable and gave
specific ideas/best practices
I will be able to take back
to my employer and apply.
I will recommend this
course to other WC
professionals.”
Visit
www.lir.msu.edu/wcc
for
Attendance at each seminar will be limited to about 30. The relaxed class atmosphere
stimulates participants to learn from each other as well as from the instructor. At times,
attendees will break into small groups to work on problems or exercises and to discuss
issues. Courses are designed to allow individuals to raise questions and get answers.
Former attendees have told us:
Share experiences and learn from a diverse group of
workers’ compensation professionals.
Attendees take examinations to evaluate their knowledge and proficiency. The
take-home exams are due one week after the class. Applicants will also be evaluated on their
participation in certain activities during the seminar. Certification is only given to those
who attend the entire program and pass all examinations. They will be notified four-six
weeks after the seminar by letter and will receive a certificate.
The Learning
Atmosphere
Examinations
People from these
companies have
completed the program
and have become
Certified Workers’
Compensation
Professionals:
“The true value was our ability to
network with different roles/
responsibilities/participants and
develop those relationships.”
“The best aspect of this program has
been the encouragement of all
attendees to participate, and that we
have been allowed to share
information with each other.”
“This is the seminar every
workers’ compensation
manager, director, and
handler needs to attend.
Knowledge is a wonderful
tool; wisdom comes from
sharing the knowledge you
have learned. Thank you.”
What attendees say
about our program:
Accident Fund Insurance Co. of America Acordia Employers Service
Aetna Alcoa Amerisafe
Anheuser-Busch Companies Aon Risk Services Ascension Health BASF
Bacardi Bottling Corporation Borders Group Inc.
Brookhaven National Laboratory Carson City Hospital
Charles County Government City of Detroit
City of Jacksonville Collier County Sheriffs Office Comcast Corporation Crate & Barrel
Dekalb County Police Department Dow Chemical Company
Fairfax County
Frank Gates Service Company Gap, Inc.
General Motors Corporation Haggar Clothing Company Hershey Foods Corporation IBM
Kelly Services, Inc. Kentucky Employers’ Mutual Marsh Inc.
Michelin North America Midwest Employers Casualty Miller Brewing Company Paychex Agency, Inc. Pennsylvania State University Portland Public Schools Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe Trinity Health
University of Calif., Los Angeles Wells Fargo Bank
Interact with
knowledgeable instructors
who are leaders in the
field of workers’
compensation
Jeff Biddle
Jeff Biddle has been a faculty member in the department of Economics of Michigan State University since receiving his Ph.D. in Economics from Duke University in 1985. A specialist in labor economics, he has for several years taught undergraduate courses on the economic aspects of government programs for workers, including workers’ compensation. His published research in the area of workers’ compensation includes historical studies of the origins of the U.S. workers’ compensation program, the claim-filing behavior of people with work-related injuries, and the labor market consequences of work-related injuries.
John Burton is a Professor Emeritus in the School of Management and Labor Relations at Rutgers: The State University of New Jersey. He is the Editor of the Workers’ Compensation Policy Review. He is a member of the Advisor Council on Workers’ Compensation for the New Jersey Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development, and was the Chairman of the National Commission on State Workmen’s Compensation Laws. He received his LL.B. and Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Libby Child
Libby Child is currently consulting, writing and lecturing in the field of disability management, and teaching in the workers’ compensation field. She is a senior consultant in disability matters at Varnum Consulting in Grand Rapids, Mich. Libby handled workers’ compensation claims and managed integrated disability management for Steelcase Inc. for approximately 25 years. Libby is also a member of a number of state boards and commissions related to workers’ compensation and a leader in the Michigan Self-Insurers Assoc. She was inducted into the Workers’ Compensation Hall of Fame in 1999.
Ann Clayton
Ann Clayton serves as a senior consultant to the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute’s CompScope™ Research Program in addition to working with state workers’ compensation agencies and employers to help them apply automated workers’ compensation information. Before becoming a consultant, Ann worked as the deputy director of the WCRI, joining them in 1996 after serving as the director of Florida’s workers’ compensation system for five years.
Sara T. Harmon
Sara Harmon is an industrial appeals judge in Washington. Prior to that, she was a workers’ compensation judge and mediator in New Mexico. She has also served as the administrator of the workers’ compensation regulatory division in Oregon and was the chair of the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals in the State of Washington. She has written and spoken extensively on workers’ compensation issues.
Bruce W. Hayden
Bruce Hayden has an extensive background in insurance including senior management roles in specialty WC companies. Currently, he is the agency manager of Universal Underwriters Insurance Services in Overland Park, Kansas, an affiliate of Universal Underwriters Group, the insurance industry’s leader in automotive insurance. Bruce manages an extensive book of WC business spread across the entire country.
Edward M. Welch
Edward Welch is director of the Workers’ Compensation Center for the School of Labor & Industrial Relations at Michigan State University. From 1991 to 1999, he was editor of the newsletter On Workers’ Compensation. He
Medical Consultants
was director of the Michigan Bureau of Workers’ Disability Compensation from 1985 through 1990. Prior to that, he was a claimants’ attorney in Muskegon and Battle Creek, Michigan.
John J. Bernick, MD, PhD
Dr. Bernick is the medical director of Michigan Occupational Health Associates, a clinical occupational medicine practice, and an assistant professor at Wayne State University. He received his BS and MS in microbiology at Wayne State University. Prior to receiving his MD from Wayne State University, he attended the University of Michigan where he completed a PhD in Environmental Health Sciences.
M. Melissa Moon, DO
Dr. Moon graduated from Michigan State University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1987 and from the University of Michigan residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) in 1991. She is board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Dr. Moon works near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in general adult rehabilitation, IMEs, and musculoskeletal medicine.
Mark J. Upfal, MD
Dr. Upfal is corporate medical director of the Detroit Medical Center Occupational Health Service and an associate professor at Wayne State University. After receiving his BS in Zoology and MPH in Environmental and Industrial Health from the University of Michigan, and prior to receiving his MD from the University of Colorado, he was an
Continuing Education
Credit is available for
many professions
including PHR/SPHR/
GPHR, CCMC,
CRCC, CDMSC,
Nurses, Insurance
Agents/Producers, and
Safety Professionals.
Get details on our web
site www.lir.msu.edu/
wcc/CEC.htm.
Name
Title
Organization
Address
City State Zip
Telephone
Cell
5-LETTER CODE FROM MAILING LABEL (above your name)
CANCELLATION POLICY
• Fourteen days or more prior to seminar: full refund • Less than 14 days: $350 cancellation fee • Failure to attend without cancelling: no refund MSU reserves the right to cancel programs when enrollment criteria are not met or for conditions beyond its control. Any additional costs incurred by the enrollee of cancelled programs are the responsibility of the enrollee.
RECERTIFICATION
Initial certification is for a two-year period. Continuing certification after that requires evidence of continuing education in workers’ compensation or a related field. For more information see our web site
www.lir.msu.edu/wcc or email [email protected]
ACCOMMODATION FOR DISABILITIES OR SPECIAL DIETARY NEEDS
Accommodations for people with disabilities or special dietary needs may be requested by calling us at (517) 432-2209. We will do all we can to accommodate you. It would be helpful if you would call at least three weeks before the program.
OVERNIGHT ACCOMMODATIONS
Overnight accommodations are not included in the seminar fee. MSU has arranged for a limited number of rooms at a special rate. Individuals desiring overnight lodging may call the hotel at the number above and refer to the MSU WC Certification Program to get the block rate. This special rate may be removed a month
prior to the seminar so make your reservations early. Reservation requests received after the cut-off
date will be accepted on a space available basis at the prevailing guest room rate.
Monday -Thursday: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Friday: 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Oct. 29-Nov. 2, 2007
(Program 9167)East Lansing Marriott 300 M.A.C. Ave.
East Lansing, MI 48823 • (517) 337-4440
Marriott Suites Midtown 35 14th St. NE
Atlanta, GA 30309 • (404) 876-8888
Nov. 12-16, 2007
(Program 9168)Seminar Fee: $2,095
(Includes Continental breakfast and lunch.)
www.lir.msu.edu/wcc/wccp/registration.htm
We now have a secure website where you can pay online and print out a receipt. It is located at www.lir.msu.edu/wcc/wccp/registration.htm, then click on the Reg-istration option. Or you can call us at (517) 432-2209 with credit card information.
Workers’ Compensation Certification Program
By Mail
Attn: Accounts Receivable Workers’ Compensation Center Michigan State University 207 South Kedzie Hall East Lansing, MI 48824-1032
By Fax:
517.432.7723
By Email: [email protected]
By Phone: (517) 432-2209
Online:
www.lir.msu.edu/wcc
To register, fill out the form below and send to the Workers’ Compensation Center.
Marriott Mission Valley 8757 Rio San Diego Drive
San Diego, CA 92108 • (619) 692-3800
Payment enclosed (Payable to Michigan State University) Bill by organization
Charge: American Express MasterCard Visa
• Payment does not have to accompany registration but is due by the seminar date. • Please, no audio or video recording.
• Dress is business casual.
MSU’s FEDERAL ID NUMBER is 38-6005984
Sept. 10-14, 2007
(Program 9164)Hilton St. Louis Downtown 400 Olive Street
St. Louis, MO 63102 • (314 ) 436-0002
Oct. 15-19, 2007
(Program 9166) Westin at Forrestal Village201 Village Blvd.
Princeton NJ 08540 • (888) 625-5144
Sept. 24-28, 2007
(Program 9165)August 20-24, 2007
(Program 9163) Waterfront Conference Center2061 US 31North
Traverse City, MI 49686 • (231) 938-1100 with overnights at the ParkShore Resort (877) 349-8898
*
See NOTE on page 1.WORKERS’ COMPENSATION CENTER SCHOOL OF LABOR & INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
Michigan State University 207 South Kedzie Hall East Lansing, MI 48824-1032
Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage
PAID
East Lansing, Michigan Permit No. 21
