What is Mediation?

Every year a high percentage of Worker’s Compensation Claims are mediated.  Mediation is essentially an informal settlement conference.  All parties gather in one location and discuss the strength’s and weakness of their respective cases.  This happens in front of a mediator and is called the general session.  After this general session, the parties break up into separate rooms.  These are called private sessions.  The mediator, who is agreed to by both parties, goes back and forth between the two rooms relaying offers, counter offers, and arguments.  It is the mediators job to facilitate a discussion of the case that often times leads to a resolution of the claim.   Mediation has been a successful tool in resolving a high percentage of claims because it allows both parties to take control of the claim rather than turning that control over to the Industrial Commission in a hearing.