Official Government Website
We invite you to attend the Annual Seminar, designed to educate and engage participants in the Idaho workers’ compensation system. This event will cover current rules and procedures while offering valuable opportunities for dialogue and networking on a variety of timely topics.
This year’s sessions will include:
KEYNOTE SPEAKER |
|
This session discusses the whole person approach to recovery from an injury or occupational disease. Too often in the past, we’ve focused on the claims process, cost containment or efficiency and forgotten that the “claimant” is also a human being and things beyond the actual injury can reduce their motivation, elongate RTW, and increase the total cost of the claim. I discuss what taking into the account the whole person means in strategic and tactical terms. |
BREAK OUT SESSIONS |
|
Industrial Commission Update: “Milestones that Matter Commissioner Sharp will present on challenges and opportunities affecting the Idaho workers’ compensation system. |
|
Recent Discipline Cases Joe Pirtle will discuss recent lawyer discipline cases imposing public sanctions. The presentation will address the facts and violations of the Idaho Rule of Professional Conduct at issue in each case. |
|
As the American workforce ages, workers’ compensation professionals must adapt to new medical and return-to-work challenges. This session explores how aging affects injury recovery, disability duration, and claim outcomes, with a focus on practical strategies for case management. Attendees will gain insights into comorbidities, polypharmacy, ergonomic adaptations, and ADA considerations. Join us to learn how proactive, age-informed approaches can improve outcomes for injured workers and reduce claim complexity. |
|
Description |
|
Join NCCI as they present the key cost drivers shaping Idaho’s workers compensation system, reveal timely economic insights, and deliver updates on the residual market. You’ll also gain fresh perspective on emerging trends in motor vehicle accidents and legislative developments across the western U.S. |
|
In this presentation we will discuss common shoulder injuries related to the rotator cuff encountered in the Workers compensation system. We will discuss the relevant anatomy, proper work up and spend time reviewing the pearls and pitfalls related to management of acute shoulder injuries. We will also spend some time on differentiating new injuries vs pre-existing age related change, determining aggravation vs exacerbation and addressing acceleration of a chronic underlying disease. Finally we will review new treatment modalities including the expanding use of biologics in management of acute shoulder injuries. |
|
Some patients in the Workers’ Compensation system over-consume resources for reasons that do not always correlate with organic pathology. This does not mean these patients are bad people. But taking care of them can be difficult and frustrating. It requires skill. We will discuss strategies for navigating these non-organic obstacles to recovery in injured workers. |
|
Description |
|
J. Audie Black, PhD, ABN and Melissa Kremer, PsyD will present an integrated discussion on the evaluation and treatment of PTSD in worker’s compensation cases. Dr. Black will present on the evaluation of PTSD, clarify what constitutes PTSD per the DSM-5-TR, provide a framework for objective assessment including detection of malingering or symptom exaggeration, and discuss differences between standard physical-mental injury claims and Idaho’s PTSI statute for first responders. Dr. Kremer will outline evidence-based treatments, addressing expected recovery timelines and key considerations when PTSD is complicated by co-occurring conditions such as chronic pain or concussion. The presentation will challenge myths about permanent impairment and illustrate how focused, time-limited therapy can result in meaningful recovery. |
CASE LAW REVIEW |
|
Andy and Mark have scoured the recent case law and will summarize recent developments in Idaho workers’ compensation. They will entertain you with the most significant and/or wacky decisions, offering perspective from both sides of the aisle.
|
Injured Workers Are People Too
The Aging Workforce: Medical Realities and Claims Strategies for a Changing Demographic
Title
A Data-Driven Dive into Idaho’s WC Landscape and the Western Region
Workers compensation and the rotator cuff. A story filled with intrigue, mystery, and heartbreak
Deftly Dealing with Dodgy Patients: Navigating Non-organic Obstacles to Recovery in the Injured Worker
Title