Deconstructing Comp
Now in Season 6! We are still breaking down complex workers' compensation issues into bite-sized nuggets, one conversation at a time, with one slight twist. We are finally doing what we set out to do when we started: discuss the nuances of our fascinating system in "Cliff Notes" style summaries. Yvonne Guibert and Rafael Gonzalez approach workers' comp conversations from different backgrounds. Still, they share many things in common, such as their love for family and friends, a passion for Latin culture, and good old-fashioned belly laughs. Join them as they chat with industry friends and colleagues, learn more about their roles, laugh, and have fun along the way. You might learn something along the way! See you soon! ¡Hasta pronto!
Episodes
🎙️ Brian Arnold from World Insurance Brokers is here to talk about the California Coalition on Workers' Compensation (CCWC) Annual Conference, and more importantly, why showing up at conferences matters for your career.
Networking Built His Career
Brian's been in workers' comp for 25 years. He started as a claims assistant at a boutique TPA and worked his way up through different carriers and TPAs. But here's what re...
Yvonne and Rafael sit down with Dave Chmiel, Chief Claims Officer at Hub International. Together, they engage in a great conversation about the broker's perspective on workers' compensation.
Episode Highlights
☕ The Core Message: Listening Changes Everything (00:02:38)
From day one in the brokerage world, Dave was taught to listen, to understand what economic buyers (CEOs, CFOs) actually care about. That skill transcen...
Yvonne and Rafael are so excited (and you can tell!). Yvonne declares she's Sandy's biggest fan! And honestly? After listening to this conversation, you'll understand why. Sandy Avina has figured out something our industry has been struggling with for over 100 years: how to make workers' compensation accessible, engaging, and even fun.
Sandy Avina, MBA, is a Claim Services Manager with California Schools JPA, a self-...
Yvonne is joining from her hometown of Bandera, Texas (where the weather can't make up its mind — thirties one day, nineties the next), and Rafael just got back from Chicago. Which is the perfect segue to today's guest — Michael Brennan, Chairman of the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission, joining us from a snowy Chicago, where, apparently, the high twenties counts as mild. Brrrrrr.
Highlights...
Yvonne and Rafael sit down with Heather Lore, Executive Director of the IAIABC, for a conversation that covers some important (and undertalked) topics in workers' comp right now.
What we get into:
🌍 A Truly Global Community: The International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions (IAIABC) is the oldest workers' comp organization in the country, at 112 years, with members spanning the US, Canada, E...
What happens when Medicare and multiple liens enter the claim, and how do you navigate them without derailing resolution?
In this episode of Deconstructing Comp, Yvonne Guibert and Rafael Gonzalez talk with John Cattie, managing partner of Cattie and Gonzalez, PLLC. The conversation focuses on Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) compliance and the broader landscape of federal lien resolution in workers’ compensation...
In this episode of Deconstructing Comp, what was intended to be a conversation about when substance use is considered industrial… turned into a much deeper exploration of how, and why, care in workers’ compensation often breaks down.
Yvonne and Rafael talk to Dr. Tomer Anbar and Dr. Ramsey Ali and enjoy a powerful, layered conversation that challenges how we think about care in workers’ compensatio...
In this episode of Deconstructing Comp, Yvonne Guibert and Rafael Gonzalez talk with Liva Rivera, Chief Communications Officer at Hamilton, Miller, and Birthisel Law Firm, for a lively conversation about the power of social media in building relationships, expanding professional networks, and supporting mentorship within the workers’ compensation community.
Liva shares how platforms like LinkedIn have evolved f...
In this episode of Deconstructing Comp, we’re joined by Greg Hamlin, Senior VP and Chief Claims Officer at Berkley Industrial Comp (a Berkley Company), for a grounded conversation about the role empathy plays in workers’ compensation and why it is so essential in our industry, particularly when communicating with injured workers.
Greg shares observations from his experience about how empathy influen...
In this episode of Deconstructing Comp, Yvonne Guibert and Rafael Gonzalez welcome Tammy Boyd, newly appointed President of Kids' Chance of Florida, for a meaningful conversation centered on service, leadership, and the life-changing impact of educational scholarships for children affected by workplace injury or fatality. Tammy shares how her career in workers’ compensation shaped her understanding of the huma...
1. Mental Health Goes Operational
No longer fringe in workers’ comp. Our real challenge now is operationalizing access to timely, evidence-based mental health care so it supports recovery instead of becoming a barrier.
2. End of Healthcare Subsidies = Cost Shifting Risk
With federal funding changes, i.e. loss of funding for healthcare subsidies and SAMHSA,watch for cost shifting into workers’ comp.
...
Yvonne and Rafael take time to reflect on Season 5, their accomplishments, and the time they spent with guests.
They also discuss new features of Deconstructing Comp, including the launch of the Work Comp Changemaker Awards, a new website, a monthly newsletter, a YouTube channel, and so much more!
Grab your headphones, your favorite beverage, and let's go have a chat!
¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listenin...
In this episode, Yvonne and Rafael talk with Darrell Mathis, Director of Workers’ Compensation for the City of Chicago, and explore his work to modernize and manage one of the nation's largest municipal programs.
Darrell shares his 33-year journey from the private sector to public service, offering candid insights into program reform, transparency, and talking about “paying what we owe.”
...
In this episode, co-hosts Yvonne Guibert and Rafael Gonzalez talk with expert defense attorney and educator Jeff Adelson in a candid conversation about two often-overlooked forces in workers’ compensation: ethics and empathy. Together, they explore how small shifts in behavior, perspective, and communication can create better outcomes for injured workers and claims professionals alike.
From managing ethical gra...
In this episode, Yvonne and Rafael catch up with Judge David Langham, Deputy Chief Judge of the State of Florida, and a prolific writer, blogger, educator, and speaker.
If you're curious about the history of Florida’s workers’ compensation system, and you want to learn what "stare decisis" is, don’t miss our conversation with Judge Langham. He's widely recognized as the leading legal authority...
In this episode, Yvonne and Rafael chat with friend and colleague Rosa Royo, Director, Workers' Compensation and Loss Prevention at Miami-Dade County Public Schools. This is Rosa's second time visiting us at Deconstructing Comp. This school system is the third largest school system in the country with 450 school sites, 335,000 students and over 40,000 employees (based on most current statistics).
We start off t...
In this episode of Deconstructing Comp, Yvonne and Rafael welcome Gina Jacobs, a defense attorney with Hamilton, Miller & Birthisel LLP, to share what it’s like navigating workers’ compensation from the defense side. Joining from Orlando, Gina brings a candid look at how defense counsel approaches claims, collaborates with employers and carriers, and works toward fair resolutions within Florida&rsquo...
In this episode of Deconstructing Comp, Yvonne and Rafael talk to Paolo Longo, a claimant attorney based in Florida, to explore the realities of representing injured workers, especially first responders. Paolo shares how his career path led him from the state attorney’s office to becoming a dedicated advocate for employees navigating the workers’ compensation system.
He explains the unique legal protectio...
In this episode of Deconstructing Comp, Yvonne Guibert and Rafael Gonzalez welcome Scynthia Syfrett, Workers’ Compensation Program Manager at SHARP Healthcare in San Diego. Scynthia offers her perspective on managing a large deductible program, with a $1 million per-claim deductible, and the lessons in risk that come with operating at this scale.
Our conversation examines how large deductible programs shift a s...
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this episode are Judge Robert Rassp’s personal opinions and do not reflect the official position of the State of California, Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC), or the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB).
In this episode of Deconstructing Comp, Yvonne and Rafael are joined by Judge Robert Rassp for a straightforward d...
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