Robert Aurbach is an experienced lawyer and workers' compensation system designer with 30 years of experience in workers' compensation in Australia and North America. He spent 15 years as the chief legal officer and policy developer for the New Mexico Workers' Compensation Administration. During that time he completely redesigned the state's regulatory framework after a major statutory reform, and then saw the changes through adoption and implementation.
As a consequence of the reform program, New Mexico improved from the 10th highest premiums in the country to the 40th highest over a four year period, whilst maintaining benefits for workers that were significantly higher than other many states.
During that role, and subsequently as an independent consultant, Robert assisted other governmental entities in reviewing and revising their workers' compensation systems. Clients included the Navajo Nation, the US Virgin Islands, the States of New Mexico, Delaware, Tennessee, California and the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation (similar to Seacare) system. Fiscal outcomes of the other projects he has conducted independently have also been excellent.
Robert was the editor (2003 - 2015) of the only peer reviewed international professional journal devoted to workers' compensation issues, allowing him ongoing access to the latest injury management developments and resources. Additional experiences include testimony before the US Congress on the OSHA ergonomics initiative and representation of the United States in NAFTA talks on cross-border workers' compensation matters.
In Australia, Robert organised and ran a unique series of stakeholder engagement sessions in every Australian capital, gathering and analysing the input of a very diverse range of stakeholders. The resulting national report has been published by Deakin University. Rob has also worked as a consultant for a variety of clients including independent injury compensation consulting firms, rehabilitation businesses and associations, eReports medical assessment services, ARTD Consultants (program evaluations) Comcare, WorkCover NSW (now State Insurance Regulatory Authority), the Department of Veteran's Affairs and the Department of Employment.
Rob is a very active speaker and writer, who has presented at a number of Australian, American and international conferences, and written more than 50 articles and book chapters for publication. His current focus is on the medicalization of mental health concerns and the appropriate way to facilitate treatment access without creating unnecessary focus on psychological symptoms.