I was on a panel yesterday as part of the National Workers’ Compensation Defense Network (NWCDN) Annual Conference. We were discussing life now and in the future in the “virtual world.”

At one point the topic turned to the challenges of claims management in a virtual environment. My fellow panelists made great comments about having to pivot to new methods regarding elements of the claims process; approval signatures, payment methods and the like.

I had a slightly different opinion on the matter. I conjectured to the panel and attendees that at a higher level, the workers’ compensation claims process has been essentially virtual for many years, long before the COVID pandemic hit our shores.

Think about it. If you talk to a long time claims professional, they will tell you (lament, actually) about the days when they met injured workers in their home. They were exposed to their environment and saw first-hand the challenges they were having. And they could settle a claim by “stroking a check on the hood of a car.”