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PODCAST

Workers Comp Matters

Legal Talk Network

Workers Comp Matters is hosted by Attorney Alan S. Pierce, the only Legal Talk Network program that focuses entirely on the people and the law in workers compensation cases. Nationally recognized Trial Attorney, expert and author, Alan S. Pierce is a leader committed to making a difference when workers comp matters.

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All Episodes

32:59

“Many ills may strike, but one must answer.” Medical...

Workers Comp Matters ·

2025/11/25

Causation and Workers’ Compensation? It’s complicated, and it varies by state. The concept is that to qualify for Workers’ Comp there must be a direct link between the injury (or illness) and the workplace. But how do you prove what’s a direct result of the workplace and what was the result of a prior injury or condition? Here’s where it gets confusing. Every state has its own rules. There are varying degrees of required proof, pre-existing conditions, mental trauma, contributing causes, and it

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33:36

Workers’ Comp, Politics, and the Economy: A...

Workers Comp Matters ·

2025/10/21

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

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29:34

A Teacher Injured in a School Shooting: When Is the...

Workers Comp Matters ·

2025/09/23

Workers’ Compensation has traditionally been a bargain, a “deal” workers and employers agree to. Workers injured on the job are compensated quickly and in exchange they don’t sue their employers. But when it came to a Virginia school teacher shot and seriously injured by a young student, was there an exception to the rule? Recent law graduate Katie Jean won the Workers’ Compensation Lawyers John F. Burton Jr. Law Student Writing Competition with her entry “Rethinking the Intent Exception in the

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25:14

When You’re Hot, You’re Hot: The Impact of Heat on...

Workers Comp Matters ·

2025/08/29

Hot enough for ya? Guest Sebastian Negrusa Ph.D. is a researcher at the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) and the co-author of the recent WCRI study “Impact of Excessive Heat on the Frequency of Work-Related Injuries.”What role does excessive heat in the workplace play in employee injuries? Turns out, it’s a lot. In temperatures of more than 90 degrees, the risk of injury on the job increases by a significant 5%-6%. Excessive heat, the study finds, impairs both cognitive and physical

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41:59

First Responders and Workers’ Comp, Understanding...

Workers Comp Matters ·

2025/07/29

What happens when a first responder is hurt on the job or suffers from job-related post-traumatic stress? We depend on these heroes among us, always there when we need them most. But many must depend on Workers’ Comp professionals to help them when they are injured.Guest Paolo Longo is a partner with the law firm Bichler & Longo PLLC in Orlando, Florida. He specializes not only in helping injured workers, but also those injured workers who happen to be first responders. While physical threats

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36:00

Exclusive Remedy: The “Great Bargain” (and the...

Workers Comp Matters ·

2025/06/02

Let’s talk about the “exclusive remedy,” what it means, why Workers’ Comp matters, and the exceptions. The concept of exclusive remedy is based on the principle that in exchange for care and benefits, a worker injured on the job may surrender some options for additional remedies. If you’re covered by Workers’ Comp, the ability to challenge the employer in court for injuries and pain and suffering may be limited. Workers’ Comp is the remedy. We are covered by Workers’ Compensation because that can

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31:25

When Undocumented Immigrants Are Hurt at Work

Workers Comp Matters ·

2025/04/29

These are unprecedented times for the rights of immigrant workers in the United States. The current political climate has thrown a wrench into the Workers’ Compensation system when it comes to workers without documentation. Understanding the system can help. Guest Enrique Flores is the founder of the Flores Law Group in Indianapolis, Indiana, and a leader in immigrant workers’ rights. The son of immigrant parents, he says immigrant workers have always sought to live and work unnoticed,

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37:57

More “Strange but True” Workers’ Comp Cases (and What...

Workers Comp Matters ·

2025/03/31

Hosts Alan and Judson Pierce reflect on nearly two decades of the Workers Comp Matters podcast with an examination of unusual or bizarre claims and cases. A reminder, while some of these cases may have puzzling or humorous elements on their face, it’s never funny when a person is hurt. We may wonder what people were thinking when these incidents happened, but we can learn from each case. For starters, always expect the unexpected. An employee who thought her boss provided gluten-free pizza was

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34:56

Sprain? Strain? Subluxation? Medical Insights That...

Workers Comp Matters ·

2025/02/25

Guest Dr. Peter Yeh is an orthopedic surgeon with more than 15 years in medicine treating shoulder, upper arm, and knee issues. The stuff that happens at the job. When it comes to injured workers, they’re not that much different than an injured athlete. In both cases, the things they do can be a big part of their identity. And getting back to work is imperative. It’s not just physical, it’s mental. We all have different layers of what makes us who we are, and work is a big part of that. Hear how

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32:00

Enhancing Your Argument With Storytelling

Workers Comp Matters ·

2025/01/21

Being a good lawyer is a lot about great storytelling. Unfortunately, that’s often not taught in law school. Facts build the case, but effective storytelling wins the case. Guest Robert Mattson is an experienced corporate communications leader and coach. But his skills go beyond that. He acts in and writes plays. He is also the founder and principal at Intrigue Communications and Coaching. He helps people not simply communicate but also tell a story. When you’re in front of a jury or arbitrator,

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36:48

AI May Be Big, But Nothing Replaces People In...

Workers Comp Matters ·

2024/12/24

AI may be changing the Workers’ Compensation insurance industry, but that doesn’t diminish the importance of a personal touch. Guest Michael Kelley leads the HUB International claims adjustment team in New England and explains how bringing cases to a satisfying conclusion for all involved can be as much of an art as a science. There’s room for both automation and technology and face-to-face discussion, understanding the nuances of every situation, and negotiating. Kelly shares his process and how

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37:38

Brain Strain: Workplace Psychological Injury...

Workers Comp Matters ·

2024/12/02

Guest Michael C. Duff, professor at the St. Louis University School of Law, explores the evolving field of mental health injuries in the Workers’ Comp world. Stress and workplace trauma is real, and recognition of these injuries is developing, but there are still complicating factors. Did workplace stress cause a heart attack, or was there underlying heart damage? What constitutes post-traumatic stress, and at what point did that stress occur on the job? There’s a lot to unpack. Daily on-the-job

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29:31

New Study Asks if Having a Lawyer Boosts Workers Comp...

Workers Comp Matters ·

2024/10/29

Guest Bogdan Savych, a senior policy analyst at the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI), discusses his new paper, written with David Neumark, entitled “Impact of Attorney Representation on Workers’ Compensation Payments.”WCRI studied the impact of attorney representation when it comes to indemnity payments (income replacement benefits) for injured workers in what, on its face, is supposed to be a straightforward Workers’ Compensation system. What impact, statistically, does having an

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37:12

VA Disability Claims: An Often Overlooked Benefit Source

Workers Comp Matters ·

2024/09/17

Our military and public service veterans deserve our best. Guest Alex Dell is a longtime Workers’ Compensation and Veterans Affairs compensation attorney, often representing injured public servants or military veterans. He’s also a former Division One hockey referee. In both roles, Dell explains how taking a broad view is crucial. The key, he says, is to avoid “tunnel vision.” Learn to see issues from multiple angles. Take in the whole picture. In hockey, keep an eye out for penalties behind the

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35:50

50 Years In Workers’ Comp: Alan Pierce’s Observations...

Workers Comp Matters ·

2024/08/30

In this special episode, co-host Alan Pierce shares his thoughts on an auspicious occasion, celebrating his 50th year practicing Workers’ Compensation law. Alan’s son and law partner, Judson Pierce, interviews his father. Fifty years of anything is a long time. Alan passed the bar in 1974 and began practicing Workers’ Comp law. He’s seen a lot. Incremental changes seem to pass slowly, but over half a century, Alan has had a front row seat to what’s become a revolution, from his start as a claims

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35:50

Using AI To Help Both Sides, Adjusters And Injured...

Workers Comp Matters ·

2024/07/22

How will AI help us help workers injured on the job? What voids will AI help us fill as we work to help people get back to work and life? Treatment authorizations, document delivery, and automation of mundane tasks such as signature acceptance help an injured person get back on the job faster and speed operations for the adjuster. Let’s work together. As guests from digital communications platform Gain Life Tycho Speekenbrink and John Peters explain, claims are complicated. But automation can help

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36:03

A New Approach to Workers’ Comp: Being Nice?

Workers Comp Matters ·

2024/06/28

Guest Claire C. Muselman’s recent publication in WorkersCompensation.com encourages adjusters to take a new look at Workers’ Compensation’s goals. Maybe we should be less skeptical of workers and show empathy. In other words: Be Nice. We all have biases. Sometimes they get in the way and keep us from caring. From social media to traditional learning to storytelling and anecdotes, how do those biases influence our assumptions when it comes to making workers whole and getting them back on the job

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34:24

Alternative Medicine and Workers’ Comp Coverage: A...

Workers Comp Matters ·

2024/05/30

Let’s talk about alternative medicine and coverage under Workers’ Comp’s hodgepodge of rules. Guest Maya Rashid is a recent graduate of Penn State Law and the winner of the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers’ student writing competition with her article “Revitalizing Recovery: Exploring Workers’ Compensation Coverage of Alternative Medicine.” Fighting for clients seeking treatment through alternative medicine under Workers’ Comp? Even traditional medicine can get tangled in case law and

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27:48

New Insights: How A Worker’s Mental State Influences...

Workers Comp Matters ·

2024/04/30

When workers are recovering from a workplace injury, there are psychosocial factors, mental factors, which can impede the recovery from physical injuries. Things such as a worker’s recovery expectations, fear of pushing too hard or performing activities that may restrict the benefits of physical therapy and hamper recovery, or even new negative feeling about their job and perceived injustices over how a supervisor or employer reacted to the injury. Can these “mental” factors prolong recovery and

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31:50

The “Multi-Tentacled Monster:” Repetitive Stress Claims

Workers Comp Matters ·

2024/03/26

This episode opens a new topic for the Workers Comp Matters podcast: repetitive stress injuries, sometimes referred to cumulative trauma, acquired on the job. What happens to someone when someone develops a workplace injury, physical or mental, that can’t be traced back to a single, isolated event? Or what if the injury is the result of cumulative trauma developed under multiple employers? Bodily wear and tear, the result of daily repetitive labor, is real. Think of the brick mason on his knees for

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161 results

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