About
Industrial
Rehabilitation Consultants
 In
1983 Industrial Rehabilitation Consultants was
founded by Barbara Berndt. Her work focused on
worker compensation with the Department of Labor &
Industries. She was one of the initial registrants (#18)
to provide vocational rehabilitation services. At that
time, vocational services focused on providing
assessments and retraining (plan development & plan
implementation) in state fund work. By 1987 when the
first contracts were established with DLI, Barbara
received the highest score statewide for education and
work experience.
In 1990 Richard Berndt joined IRC. Rich brings
vast experience from the banking, insurance, finance,
community service and business development. His family
has lived in the Tacoma area since the 1800’s which is a
huge asset in developing on-the-job-training and other
return to work possibilities These talents are
beneficial in the worker compensation system. In the
14 years with IRC Rich has developed expertise to work
with employers and with difficult clients who need
firm guidance and direction within the limits of worker
compensation. With the adoption of the CACO
(Complexity-Adjusted Cost Outcomes), Rich has
established and maintained IRC in the top scoring firms
for Pierce County.
Expertise:
Throughout the years, Barbara has expanded and
established her expertise in self-insured worker
compensation. She has worked with a number of Fortune
500 companies in Washington State and these employers
encompasses agriculture, grocery, hospitals,
manufacturing, paper and timber industries. In addition,
Barbara is bilingual in Spanish and is able to provide
all services to non-English speaking clients on behalf
of employers.
Forensic vocational assessments began in 1989
with Barbara providing assessments to both
plaintiff and defense attorneys. Her work has
encompassed personal injury, medical malpractice, family
law and marital dissolutions, and worker compensation
issues. She has been retained extensively by the
Assistant Attorneys General, Labor & Industries
Division, for the State of Washington for Board of
Industrial Insurance Appeals. Barbara has skilled
experience in vocational assessments, depositions, and
testimony at Superior Court in personal injury cases for
both plaintiff and defense counsel. Wage loss,
vocational impairment, employability, and trainability
are significant issues she has addressed.
Specialized expertise
over the past thirty years:
- Long-Term Disability
assessments for national insurance carriers
- Cultural/bi-lingual issues
- Americans with Disability Act
(ADA)
- Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission (EEOC)
- Employment Security/Unemployment Insurance
- Involvement as a Stakeholder
in changes to the Washington Administrative Code (WAC)
with the Department of Labor & Industries.
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