By Bonnie Prater
WSIA Training Coordinator

April 2009

Hello Members!

I hope you are getting some warmer weather in your neck of the woods than I am in mine!  I am so ready for spring!

By now, you should have received and had an opportunity to respond to my Washington Workers’ Compensation Professional Survey.  This is my first stab at using Survey Monkey but it won’t be the last!  I will be reviewing the results soon to determine where we will hold our 2009-10 WWCP Courses.  Once I determine the locations, I will be looking for facilitators to lead the class in each location.  Please make sure to put your contact information in the text box provided on the survey if you would like to facilitate. If you haven’t taken the survey yet, please do so today!

The final examination in our WWCP Medical Information course was on Marc 31st.  The next course, WWCP Claims Management, starts on April 7th.

As I told you in my last column, our claims training series, currently known as Claims 1 – 4, is being completely overhauled.  The IIU Board of Directors has agreed to partner with me on this project and I am very pleased with our progress to date.  The classes are being designed to address introductory and complex claims handling.  We are well on our way to providing you with a very comprehensive training program that will meet the needs of newcomers and more seasoned claims professionals. The courses are scheduled to make their first appearances in October and November 2009. Watch for more details on these new training programs in future columns!

We have held several webinars so far this year but we aren’t done yet.  A webinar on spinal cord injuries from a physiatrist’s perspective is planned for May, one on Injury Causation from a Forensic Engineer’s Perspective is planned for early June and yet another on Medicare Reporting is planned for July.  Watch for more details in my future columns, emails and on our website.

The results of the last certification review test have been announced.  Once again, the pass ratio for students in our Certification Review class was higher than for the testers as a whole and much higher than the group that didn’t take our class.  This class is offered prior to each of the quarterly Certification Tests so if you are planning to take the test in June, you will want to register for our class.  It should be up on our website for registration by early May.  Remember, if you are planning to take the Certification Test, there are strict timeframes with regard to the application process.  If you are planning to take the June 17th test, your application must be received by the Department of Labor & Industries by May 2nd.  Here is a link to the application for your convenience.  http://www.lni.wa.gov/forms/pdf/207177af.pdf

Lastly, just a reminder that WSIA’s 38th Annual Conference is coming up soon.  Register on our website today!  Here is the link to make it easy … https://www.wsiassn.org/AnnualConfrReg2009.html

Until May . . .

Bonnie Prater

WSIA Training Coordinator

bonnie.prater@wsiassn.org

Posted 31 March 2009

back to News