After a full century of operation and evolution, the workers’ compensation industry has a clear understanding of its goals, right? Probably, not. Most of us fell into a career in workers’ comp, with no formal training or big picture thought. One result is we would each provide a different description of overall system objectives.

Thinking seriously about what Goals workers’ comp systems are trying to accomplish is particularly important right now as new discussions emerge regarding a better safety net for injured workers, we restart American business following COVID-19 shutdowns, and we seek to attract new talent to this important industry.

This talk describes a simple framework of five, positive goals for workers’ comp systems. With such a framework, every current and new claims and insurance process, service, regulation, legislative reform and recruitment initiative can be considered in light of how they leverage and support these goals.