At the 2017 PARMA Conference, a panel discussed cyber liability concerns for public entities. The panel was: John Chino – Arthur J Gallagher Steven Robinson – Risk Placement Services, Inc. Elissa Doroff – XL Catlin Common Patterns of Cyber /Claims: Missing or stolen laptop or storage devices Mismailing Erroneous data posting Willful release based on […]

At the 2017 PARMA Conference, a panel discussed disaster response planning for public entities. The panel was: Ken Hernandez – County of San Bernardino Steve Robles – County of Los Angeles Michelle Colosimo – Black Swan Solutions Ariel Jenkins – Safety National Disasters can be both natural disasters like earthquakes or floods and also man-made […]

At the 2017 PARMA Annual Conference, a panel discussed current and emerging issues involving risk management for public entities and joint powers authorities in relation to the requirements and conduct of investigations, including investigations of reported incidents of discrimination, harassment, or safety violations. Essentially this session was about the fundamentals of investigations in these matters. […]

At the 2017 PARMA Annual Conference, Yvonne Lang and Nichole Minkow from the firm Pearlman, Borska, & Wax talked about the challenges associated with reasonable accommodation of disabled workers. Interactive Process Conundrum: California law requires employers to engage in a “timely, good faith, interactive process.” Required for all employees AND applicants for jobs. This obligation […]

Conference Chronicles will be blogging from the PARMA Annual Conference held February 12-15, 2017, in Anaheim, CA. The Public Agency Risk Managers Association (PARMA) was the first organization of its kind – formed to provide a forum for California public sector risk managers to share ideas on how to perform their duties in this emerging […]

At the 2016 PARMA Conference, David Parker, an attorney with Parker, Kern, Nard & Wenzel, discussed the strategies around defending peace officer presumption claims in California. Under California law, certain “peace officers” and first responders as defined by the statutes receive a presumption of compensability for certain conditions. Defending such cases can be extremely challenging […]

At the 2016 PARMA Annual Conference, Mark Pew from PRIUM talked about general guiding principles for developing workers’ compensation drug formularies and how this applies to current efforts in California. As has been widely reported, the misuse and abuse of opioids and other prescription drugs has reached epidemic proportions in this country. Between 1999 and […]

At the 2016 PARMA Conference, a panel discussed negative attitudes toward law enforcement and how this impacts jury selection for cases involving police officers. The panel consisted of: David Cannon with Trial Innovations Catherine Mathers with Collins, Collins, Muir and Stewart LLP Shawn Mathers with Sheriff’s Information Bureau Social Media Social media searches can be […]

At the 2016 PARMA Conference, Doug McKibbin from Keenan presented a session looking at the Total Worker Health Model.  The Total Worker Health Model is based on creating a healthier workforce with increased productivity which should, in turn, reduce your worker’s compensation and healthcare costs. The session begin with a discussion of the rising healthcare […]

At the 2016 PARMA Conference, Jeff Rush from California Joint Powers Insurance Authority (JPIA) and DeAnn Wagner from York Risk Services Group discussed how identifying the root cause of the workers’ compensation claims leads to a better approach with loss control measures, increased accountability and improved enactment of safety protocols and policies. Generally, there are […]