Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission
The Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission (VWC) has 13 departments under two major divisions, Administration and Judicial. VWC is led by three Commissioners: Commissioner R. Ferrell Newman, Chairman, Commissioner Robert A. Rapaport and Commissioner Wesley G. Marshall. Chief Deputy Commissioner James Szablewicz provides senior leadership for the Judicial Division, Evelyn V. McGill is the Executive Director responsible for the Administrative Division and day-to-day operations of the VWC. The organization has been operating since 1919 and is currently in the onset of its Centennial.
IAIABC: How does your organization serve the workers’ compensation industry or what do you see as the most important role you play in the workers’ compensation industry?
Evelyn V. McGill, Executive Director, Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission: The Virginia Workers' Compensation's vision is to: Lead the nation as the most effective and innovative state agency. VWC serves the workers' compensation industry as the State of Virginia's regulator of the Virginia Workers' Compensation Act. Our mission is to: Serve injured workers, victims of crimes, employers, and related industries by providing exceptional services, resolving disputes, and faithfully executing the duties entrusted to us by the Commonwealth of Virginia.
IAIABC: What do you see as some of the major challenges the industry is facing, and how can we as a community address them?
EM: Various challenges exist for VWC to meet its vision and mission, as the state’s regulatory agency for workers’ compensation. Serving our various stakeholders requires continuous process improvements, state of the art systems and services, understanding and responding to their needs, and ensuring that our employees are provided tools, resources, support and direction to succeed.
In 2018, VWC is:
- Recognizing the start of its Centennial/100th Anniversary
- Increasing stakeholder engagement
- Performing facility, system, and service enhancements
- Implementing and evaluating Virginia's medical fee schedules
- Reviewing an enhancing compliance initiatives
- Conducting process efficiency studies to improve overall service delivery
- Finding E-billing regulatory requirements
IAIABC: Are there any projects/programs/initiatives going on at your organization that your are particularly excited or enthusiastic about?
EM: We are extremely excited to have assisted a panel of stakeholders in the development of Virginia’s first medical fee schedule, as a result of statutory mandates from our legislature. Our fee schedule is quite unique and it has been rewarding to hear from individual regulators around the United States on their interests in the schedule and various new services, including enhanced compliance initiatives in insurance and electronic data interchange and our mediation program.
E-Billing requirements are also being planned and will go live early next year as a result of statutory mandates. Working with other regulators around the country on their e-billing rules and requirements, as well as the IAIABC’s Medical Issues Committee made, this process much easier to design and develop. Automated systems are always quite challenging to research, plan and execute a go-live; the IAIABC and its members continue to assist us in these endeavors.
Our redesign efforts of all our facilities with state of the art technology, systems and enhanced security ensure that VWC’s current environment responds to the needs of our stakeholders and our most important resource, our employees. Team VWC makes our organization operate in an effective manner and our goal is to provide a safe and comfortable work environment.
IAIABC: Why is your organization a member of the IAIABC? What would you tell others about the benefits of membership?
EM: It has been very rewarding to have various members of our team present at national meetings and to hold various offices in organizations such as the IAIABC. Our vision to lead the nation is possible because of our strong team. #WeWorkAsOne is our mantra and it exudes the importance of working together and success without individual credit.
The IAIABC has assisted VWC in making its vision and mission a reality and it has provided resources to VWC to assist in the design of various complex initiatives like the fee schedule, e-billing, automated systems, reporting, mediation, compliance and various services. VWC values its strong relationship with the IAIABC, as it has opened doors to communicating with regulators around the country and world. It has helped us share our successful programs, systems, and services with other jurisdictions along with providing the opportunity for VWC to reach out to other states on their programs to assist us with the design of new, innovative services. The IAIABC also offers recognition awards to members for their leadership, outstanding work in being innovative, and actively participating to improve workers' compensation. Over the years, VWC Team Members have been awarded the 2018 NextGen Award, 2017 Frances Perkins Award, and the 2016 Innovation Award.