The WSIA Weekly, 7.8.16
Labor &
Industries appoints Fillinger, Dale to Curriculum Review Committee
The Department
of Labor & Industries announced earlier this week that the two open slots
on the Self-Insurance Program’s Curriculum
Review Committee, which oversees the accreditation of continuing education
supporting the Department’s claims examiner certification, have been filled.
WSIA member Natalee Fillinger, attorney with Holmes, Weddle & Barcott, has
been appointed to the employer position while claimants’ attorney Jane Dale of
the Causey Law Firm has been appointed to the labor position. We understand
there were a number of very well qualified applicants for the employer
position, and we congratulate Natalee and thank everyone for their interest in
this important committee.
WSIA Liaison
Committee meeting minutes available
WSIA’s Liaison
Committee held its bi-monthly meeting with L&I Self-Insurance management
yesterday, and the minutes from that meeting are now available on
the website (member login req’d). Topics discussed include updates to the
Tier 1 audit pilot, the upcoming medical Electronic Data Interchange project,
staffing changes in self-insurance, an update on worker non-cooperation with
Performance Capacity Evaluations, and more. The Liaison Committee is your
opportunity to bring issues or concerns in front of the Department for
troubleshooting or problem-solving. Contact
Kris Tefft or any of the Liaison Committee members (noted in the minutes)
with any issues you’d like brought up in future meetings.
Health
policy news from L&I for self-insurance
At yesterday’s
Liaison Committee meeting, staff from the Office of Medical Director at Labor
& Industries provided a kind of newsletter update of recent health policy
work completed, as well as new projects underway, such as treatment guideline
work on foot and ankle surgery, carpal tunnel syndrome, and more. Click
here for a copy of the update.
Safety
Committee meets next Thursday
You or any interested
colleagues in your organization are invited to the next monthly meeting of the
WSIA Safety Committee, taking place July 14th from 2:00 p.m. to 2:45
p.m. on the online GoToMeeting platform (registration
link here). Topics on the agenda include the new electronic injury
reporting and anti-retaliation criteria for OSHA, OSHA’s position that DOSH
must eliminate/modify the exemption from the 4’ fall protection for limited
roofing activities, driving in the workplace and modifications to power
industrial trucks (PIT), and more. Participants are encouraged to add any
topics of interest or get feedback from other WSIA members, and route it
through committee chair John Shervey at this link.
Conference
Planning Committee meets July 19th
WSIA members interested in
helping our conference planning committee assemble the program for our fall,
winter, spring, and annual conferences are invited to take part in the
committee’s kick-off meeting July 19th at 10:00 a.m., either in
person at the new WSIA office in Olympia, or by teleconference. Have ideas for
topics, presenters, or event details? We’d love to have your thoughts as part
of the committee. Drop Kari Heinold a
line if you’d like the call-in information.
All
WSIA committees seeking new volunteers
You can see from the above
that committee work is ramping up and moving ahead, as we enter into a new
program year for WSIA. We rely on our volunteers’ passion, input, and
creativity to drive our mission in our legislative committee, safety committee,
membership & marketing, conference planning, regional meeting, and legal
affairs committees. You can read more about the committees at this link, and if you
have any interest in being part of one or more committee, contact Kris Tefft. Being a “member of
the committee” means being on our committee-specific e-mail list for meeting
notices, action alerts, requests for feedback, and other topical news – you
participate to the extent you’re able!