The Comp Effect Todd Thams

Have you ever heard of the max debit mod rule? In this short episode of Comp Talk, Todd breaks down what the rule is and how it actually helped an account he was working on.

Have you heard the term - Consent to Rate? Do you know what it is? In this episode of Comp Talk, Todd talks about what it is to consent to rate and why you may or may not want to do it.

In this episode of The Comp Effect podcast, host Todd Thams interviews Steve Figliuolo aka "Figs" who is the Senior Risk Manager and in charge of work comp claims at Chick-fil-A Corporate Support Center. He shares his industry experience, his thoughts on managing claims, and how to pay what is owed and defend what isn't.

Episode Highlights:

Steve shares his background. (3:06)


Steve mentions one of the first things that attracted him to Chick-fil-A. (7:35)


Steve mentions his career in sales and marketing with an investigative company. (13:40)


Steve shares his experience working in insurance fraud. (18:51)


Steve mentions what’s most interesting about his job at Chick-fil-A. (28:06)


Steve mentions how he views their nurse triage line. (33:40)


Steve shares what the results have been in the last four years by changing their model from the bureaucratic system to nurse triage. (36:14)


How has Steve been able to influence work comp claims? (40:12)


Steve explains their onboarding process for new employees. (49:34)



Key Quotes:

“It's an interesting industry, because I don't know many people that really have ever directly said, I want to be involved in workers comp. And so, I think I'm one of the majority that sort of fell into this career path.”

“Advocacy is probably the big buzzword in the industry right now...claim advocacy. But, we just view it as defending our reputation, and if we owe something, then we want to step up, and we want to pay for it. We want our team members to have a pleasant experience.”

“I would encourage anyone out there...talk to your peers, talk to other people in the industry and see what works for them and see what doesn't work for them, and why. You never know what could be successful in your program.”


Resources Mentioned:

Steve Figliuolo LinkedIn

Chick-fil-A Corporate Support Center

Reach out to Todd Thams


Direct Work Comp

Thams Agency

In this episode of Comp Talk, Todd Thams talks about worker's compensation deductibles, what they are, and whether you should have one or not.

In this episode of Comp Talk, Todd Thams shares a case from Texas where a judge upheld a business's right to require Covid-19 vaccinations. Employees who chose to not get vaccinated can be rightfully terminated.

In this episode of The Comp Effect podcast, host Todd Thams interviews Don Phin, Certified eSpeaker, Strategist, and Coach. Don stops by to explain how work comp, FMLA, and ADA interact. He also explains how focusing on work comp claims actually increases revenue.

Episode Highlights:

Don shares his professional background. (1:49)


Don explains what most business owners and brokers don’t really know. (5:31)


Don chats about margin replacement revenue ratio. (12:45)


Don gives examples of customer experience and customer value. (18:44)


Don explains why one of the biggest mistakes that people make is not starting the clock on the FMLA. (21:23)


Don talks more in depth about ADA. (27:42)


Don mentions the website, Job Accommodation Network. (30:45)


Don shares one of the mistakes that people don’t often talk about. (41:04)


Don mentions he’s currently reading the book entitled, BE 2.0 by Jim Collins. (48:39)


Don mentions that he’s been spending more money on liquor. (49:55)



Key Quotes:

“What I learned dealing with those CEOs is they get the logical aspect of cost, but, they're not emotionally engaged by cost. They’re emotionally engaged by revenue. I do not want to work for a CEO who is more emotionally engaged about costs, than they are about revenue… That's the wrong CEO to work for.” - Don Phin

“So many people come in and really try to magnify the pain of that modifier, and I get all that. But, after a while, people are tired of that drumbeat. Everybody tries to put them into pain.” - Don Phin

“The first thing you want to make sure is that we have a good process in place for people to ask for leave… any kind of leave. So, the handbooks will have FMLA, ADA, workers comp, pregnancy, whatever else it is. But, there should be an umbrella policy that says no matter what the leave is, here's how you begin this process.” - Don Phin


Resources Mentioned:

Don Phin LinkedIn

Don Phin Website

Reach out to Todd Thams


Direct Work Comp

Thams Agency