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All pre-conference sessions will be held on Wednesday, January 27, 2016 at the National Press Club.

9:00 AM Registration Opens

9:45 AM Morning Pre-Conference Sessions Begin

11:45 AM Morning Pre-Conference Sessions End

12:00 PM Lunch

2:30 PM  Afternoon Pre-Conference Sessions Begin

4:30 PM  Afternoon Pre-Conference Sessions End

Pre-Conference Sessions At-A-Glance:

The Latest Trends in Income, Poverty and Program Participation:
An Information and Demonstration Workshop on Census Bureau Survey Data

This workshop will consist of two parts: (1) a review of the latest data from the Census Bureau on income, poverty, income inequality and program participation and (2) a demonstration of tools to access and retrieve Census data.  The discussion of the latest data will include a description of different data sources for these topics and guidance for users on when to use each source.  The second part of the workshop will include a demonstration of various data access tools from the Census Bureau website, including American FactFinder, Data Ferrett and the Current Population Survey Table Creator.  There will be ample time for questions and answers throughout the workshop.  The workshop will be presented by Trudi Renwick, Assistant Division Chief for Economic Characteristics in the Census Bureau’s Social, Economic and Housing Statistics Division.

The Opt-Out Option in Workers’ Compensation: Who Gains and Who Loses?

Until 2013, Texas was the only state with an ‘opt-out’ option in workers’ compensation. However, more recently a number of other states and employers have also lobbied for an opt-out option and, in 2014, Oklahoma succeeded in legislating its own opt-out. Tennessee will soon follow and South Carolina and other mid-western states have plans to adopt similar legislation in the next few years.  This session will examine what the opt-out option means for employers and workers.  Must employers have an alternative system in place to compensate employees for injuries caused on the job? Are they at an increase risk of litigation by an injured worker? What does opt-out mean for workers? Will they be assured of medical care if they are injured on the job?  This session is co-sponsored by WILG, the Workers Injury Law & Advocacy Group.

  • Charles Davoli, Davoli, Krumholt and Price
  • Michael Duff, University of Wyoming College of Law
  • Doug Holmes, Strategic Services on Unemployment & Workers’ Compensation
  • Bill Minick, PartnerSource
  • Bruce Wood, American Insurance Association
  • Moderator: Jennifer Wolf Horejsh, International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commission

Assuring Income Security for Children and Parents: The Role of Social Insurance and Assistance Today  

Parenting is risky economically. Compared to non-parents, parents are more likely to experience poverty and economic insecurity, and growing inequality means increasing class disparities in the amount parents are able to invest in their children. This session will discuss crucial income security programs for families with children, particularly the Child Tax Credit, Temporary Assistance, Supplemental Security Income for Children, Survivor’s Insurance, and paid family leave. Researchers, policy experts and government officials will assess strengths and weaknesses of existing programs, and discuss where to direct new attention.

  • Melissa Boteach, Center for American Progress
  • Bradley Hardy, American University
  • Heidi Hartmann, Institute for Women’s Policy Research
  • Charles Homer, M.D., U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  • Moderator: Shawn Fremstad, Center for American Progress and Center for Economic and Policy Research

Financing Long Term Services and Supports: A New Model for Evaluating Policy Options

This session will highlight a new model available from Urban Institute to analyze policy options for financing long-term services and supports.  Data recently released by Urban Institute in November 2015 address costs and coverage of multiple financing strategies, including the initial 2 years, 3+ years, and full duration coverage through public and private, voluntary and mandatory participation options. The session will highlight the implications of this modeling platform from research and policy and perspectives. Panelists will discuss their motivation to invest in this work, the information it yields and why policymakers and the American public should care.

  • Gretchen Alkema, The SCAN Foundation
  • Jean Accius, AARP Public Policy Institute
  • Brian Collins, Bipartisan Policy Center
  • Richard Johnson, The Urban Institute
  • Chris Giese, Milliman, Inc.
  • Howard Gleckman, The Urban Institute
  • Marsha Greenfield, LeadingAge
  • Caryn Hederman, Convergence Center for Policy Resolution
  • Anne Tumlinson, Anne Tumlinson Innovations, LLC

Achieving a Sustainable Retirement: Risks and Strategies

In this era of increased individual responsibility for managing post-retirement risks to economic security, it is important to fully understand the challenges facing retirees. Participants will hear results from the latest in a series of surveys conducted by the Society of Actuaries, which provides up-to-date findings, trends, and insights on how the public understands and manages post-retirement risks. Topics of particular interest from the survey include the impact of shocks in retirement, caregiving needs, and managing debt.  A related 2015 research project involving a series of focus groups composed of longer-term retirees (those retired for 15 years or more) provides additional insight into the survey results. A follow up discussion of strategies to mitigate risks will center on individual approaches, including making an informed decision about when to stop working and when to start Social Security benefits, as well as the importance of Social Security benefits for long-term retirees.