Workers’ Comp, Politics, and the Economy: A Concerning Mix

About this episode

Christopher Godfrey discusses the changes in the Workers' Compensation system and the impact of politics and economics on injured workers.

It’s not you, the Workers’ Compensation system has changed over time, and not always for the best. Guest Christopher Godfrey, with a long career in Workers’ Comp, including his current role as research director at the Workers'​ Injury Law & Advocacy Group (WILAG) and a lengthy stint running the office of Compensation Programs at the U.S. Department of Labor, offers some insights. Where a non-adversarial atmosphere used to prevail within Workers’ Comp, Godfrey worries it has been driven toward a confrontational system with a struggle for unilateral control. That isn’t how a program aimed at making injured workers whole and getting them back to work started out. Also concerning Godfrey is a lack of funding for the Federal Employees’ Compensation Program, making it difficult for injured federal workers to even find a doctor willing to accept them as patients. In both state and federal systems, Workers’ Comp is being buffeted by politics. Godfrey notes the government shutdown, a slowing employment environment, and even the potential for a stock market bubble threaten the system. Economics and politics can build hurdles that trickle down to how insurance companies and Workers’ Comp…

People in this episode

Guest: Christopher Godfrey

Topics covered

• Workers' Compensation
• Politics
• Economy
• Injured Workers
• Federal Employees' Compensation Program

Keywords

• Workers' Compensation
• politics
• economy
• injured workers
• federal compensation
• insurance companies
• government shutdown

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Workers' Injury Law & Advocacy Group, U.S. Department of Labor

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