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Hope Remetta, CLMP, has spent 21 years in workers’ compensation developing the judgment required to manage some of the industry’s most difficult claims. She serves as Director of Catastrophic Claims for Berkley Industrial Comp, where her work centers on catastrophic injuries and the medical, legal, investigative, and financial decisions that shape their outcomes. Before joining Berkley Industrial Comp in 2020, Hope worked with Liberty Mutual Insurance in National Market Workers’ Compensation, handling major accounts and complex claims. She also serves as Co-Chair on the Executive Team for the Insurance Rehabilitation Synergy Group.
Her academic background in Criminal Justice and Psychology gives additional context to the way Hope approaches claims. Catastrophic injuries demand careful investigation and strong technical analysis while asking claims professionals to understand a person whose life may have changed dramatically in a matter of seconds. Hope looks at the full picture before determining strategy. Medical needs, legal considerations, financial exposure, vocational planning, communication, and barriers to recovery all provide information about where a claim may be headed.
At the CLM Claims College School of Workers’ Compensation, Hope brings students the perspective of someone who has learned to anticipate rather than simply react. She believes early intervention can change the trajectory of a claim when professionals identify risks, barriers, and opportunities before they become larger problems. Her teaching encourages claims professionals to ask better questions, remain adaptable, and recognize that a successful strategy must respond to the individual claim in front of them.
What originally drew you to workers’ compensation and catastrophic claims?
Workers’ compensation gives me the opportunity to balance three critical perspectives every day: investigation, medical evaluation, and legal analysis.
Each area tells us something important about the claim. The challenge is learning how to examine them together and understand what the combined information means for the strategy moving forward.
That complexity is one of the things I value about the work.
What perspective do you bring to the School of Workers’ Compensation?
My expertise centers on evaluating the intersection of medical, legal, investigative, and financial factors to develop effective claim strategies.
Having handled some of the most challenging claims in the industry, I focus heavily on identifying risk early, promoting appropriate medical management, and developing thoughtful strategies for resolution.
Catastrophic claims rarely give you the luxury of looking at one issue in isolation. You have to understand how the different pieces affect one another and what each development may mean for the injured worker and the claim.
Why is that expertise important for today’s claims professionals?
Claims professionals who can view a claim holistically are better positioned to make informed decisions and achieve successful resolutions.
A medical development may create legal implications. A communication issue may become a barrier to recovery. A vocational concern may change the financial picture.
Understanding those connections helps professionals recognize what requires attention and where an early decision may influence the path ahead.
What is one missed opportunity you regularly see within workers’ compensation?
Failing to recognize the value of early intervention.
Medical management, vocational planning, settlement strategy, and communication with key stakeholders can all influence the trajectory of a claim. Too often, we respond to developments after they occur rather than anticipating what may come next.
Early identification of barriers and opportunities gives the claims team time to act thoughtfully.
Proactive engagement can improve the experience and outcome for the injured worker while helping control the overall cost and duration of the claim.
What has professional experience taught you that a textbook never could?
No one claim is the same.
Textbooks provide important foundational knowledge, but they cannot fully prepare you for the human element behind every claim.
Experience teaches you to ask the right questions, build relationships, adjust strategy when circumstances change, and recognize when the original plan no longer fits the situation.
Every injured worker brings a different set of circumstances into the process. Effective claim management requires enough structure to guide the work and enough adaptability to respond to the person and facts in front of you.
What do you hope students gain from learning with you at Claims College?
I want students to leave with practical strategies they can apply immediately.
I also want them to understand how investigation, medical evaluation, and legal analysis work together to influence claim outcomes.
When professionals can organize those different areas and understand how they connect, complicated claims become easier to evaluate.
My hope is that students leave better prepared to identify what matters and determine what needs to happen next.
Complete this sentence: “Excellent claims professionals understand that…”
No one claim is the same.
Strong claims professionals bring technical knowledge and established processes to their work while recognizing when the individual facts require a different question, strategy, or approach.
The ability to adapt without losing discipline is an important part of sound claim management.
What advice would you give someone building a career in workers’ compensation?
Be curious, ask questions, and never stop learning.
Develop your critical thinking skills and remain adaptable. Approach each claim with an open mind because assumptions can prevent you from seeing information that matters.
Spend time building relationships with mentors and colleagues as well.
Some of the most valuable lessons in workers’ compensation come from shared experience and from people who are willing to explain what they learned along the way.
What might Claims College students enjoy knowing about you?
I volunteered as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for children in foster care.
CASA gave me the opportunity to advocate for children navigating incredibly complicated circumstances and systems. The experience deepened my appreciation for empathy, advocacy, and the importance of helping people understand what is happening around them.
Those lessons continue to influence the way I approach my work today.
Ready to Head Back to Claims School?
The strongest claims professionals never stop learning. Join the workers’ compensation community in Baltimore from September 9–11, 2026, for the CLM Claims College and three days of practical education, meaningful discussion, and professional connection. The School of Workers’ Compensation gives students the opportunity to strengthen technical knowledge, sharpen professional judgment, and learn directly from experienced industry leaders. Each class is designed to help professionals return to their organizations with greater confidence and new ideas they can apply to their work. Explore the School of Workers’ Compensation and reserve your seat at Claims College today.
The CLM Claims College School of Workers’ Compensation is powered by Paradigm. WorkersCompensation.com proudly sponsors the School’s study halls.
