the Broward workers comp scandal, part two

The Broward County School Board audit of their workers compensation program is even-handed, insightful, detailed, and brutal. It shows no mercy for managed care firm CorVel, administrator Gallagher Bassett, or the Board’s own risk management department. And according to my reading of the 211 page document, no mercy is deserved.
I’m going to spend a few hours reviewing and commenting on this audit and my take on same. The purpose is not to slam any individual or company, but to highlight “worst practices” that are persistent throughout the workers comp industry; detail some of the findings to show specifically what can go wrong when a program is poorly conceived and managed; and shed light on what can happen when vendors take advantage of an ignorant or lazy program manager.
I do want to note that the audit report itself reflects an attention to task, focus on the real issues, and blunt assessment that are both rare and welcome in public or private reports. It does the Board credit.
Broward County’s schools have some 350 locations and 39,000 employees. Annual workers comp expenditures are in the $34 million range.
The audit’s introduction does not soft-pedal the issues; “the problems