Welcome from Commissioner Paul V. Buckley

It is our charge to see that disputes arising from workers’ compensation claims are adjudicated fairly and promptly. Our Division of Dispute Resolution is dedicated to administer justice and to swiftly resolve matters that have a real impact on the lives of injured workers. We manage our caseload in an efficient and expeditious manner so those litigants get their day in court as quickly as possible.

We are responsible under the law to ensure that all employers – even those with just one employee - carry workers’ compensation insurance at all times. Each month our Investigation Unit conducts a significant number of investigations and brings hundreds of business and workers under the umbrella of workers’ compensation. We do this to prevent the uninsured injuries that cost Massachusetts millions each year. Further, the company that ignores its obligation to provide insurance for the employees has an unfair edge over their competitors when bidding on jobs. By seeking full compliance with the law, we look to level the playing field for all businesses. Legitimate market forces, not illegal advantages, should decide what company provides a product or a service.

This agency has taken significant steps in enforcement and compliance to see that those employers who would flout the law are held accountable. We have established civil and criminal litigation units to use all legal means at our disposal (including civil suits and criminal complaints) to compel non-compliant employers to obtain the proper insurance.

The issue on non-compliance is one of the most important before us. So much so that the DIA has embarked on a public awareness campaign that will bring public service announcements and advertisements to every corner of Massachusetts. We want to make sure that every employer in the Commonwealth is on notice that they must carry workers’ compensation insurance.

Additionally, we have taken great strides on behalf of the injured workers in the Utilization Review (UR) arena. This program is designed to provide the claimant with the best possible medical care at the lowest possible cost. Our Office of Health Policy has been diligent in its efforts to guarantee that UR is applied properly in workers’ compensation claims. This has been accomplished by instituting a more stringent UR agent certification process and by conducting frequent audits of these entities.

Our Safety Training Grant Program has, to date, provided workplace safety instruction to hundreds of businesses and thousands of persons across the state. We look forward to building on the success of this program and continue to provide funding for high quality training via an open and competitive grant process. A safe workplace is in everyone’s best interest.

In order to make the DIA operate more efficiently we are employing the Internet as a means of communication and interaction. Utilizing our Information Portal on the web, we have deployed on-line tools that allow real-time filing of forms and case management assistance for attorneys and insurers. We are also exploring other web-based mechanisms such as on-line bill paying for fines and filing fees. This will provide more flexibility to our constituents in making payments and will streamline our accounts receivable process. In addition, the agency has begun studying a paperless dispute resolution system with the aim of decreasing our dependence on paper and mitigating the growing costs of operating a court system – especially the costs associated with records storage.

These initiatives are being undertaken so that we may better serve the public. I am committed to making the Massachusetts workers’ compensation system a model for the nation by making the DIA an example of government at its best.