Honorable Robert A. Rapaport Named Chairman Of The Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission

Press Release Date

Robert Rapaport

[Richmond, VA]- Commissioner Robert A. Rapaport has been elected to a three-year term as Chairman of the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission (VWC), effective July 1, 2021. He succeeds Commissioner R. Ferrell Newman, whose term ended June 30, 2021. Commissioner Rapaport, Commissioner Newman, and Commissioner Wesley G. Marshall, serve as appellate-level judges at the VWC and direct its operations and staff of 292.

Commissioner Rapaport, of Virginia Beach, was appointed to the Commission in 2017. He is a 1976 graduate of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and earned his Juris Doctor degree in 1979 from the Marshall Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary. His appointment as Commissioner follows a 35‑year practice of law with a heavy concentration in workers’ compensation. He has served as President of the Virginia Workers' Compensation American Inn of Court and was inducted as a Fellow of the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers in 2018.

About The Commission

The Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission (VWC), established in 1918, is an independent judicial and administrative state agency that oversees the workers’ compensation system for employees, employers, and insurers. VWC interprets and applies the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Act and resolves claims through hearings and mediation.

The Commission is led by a Senior Leadership team consisting of three Commissioners, an Executive Director and a Chief Deputy Commissioner. Commissioners are selected by the General Assembly and serve six-year terms. Honorable R. Ferrell Newman, Honorable Wesley G. Marshall and Honorable Robert A. Rapaport currently serve as Commissioners. The Commissioners elect a Chairman to serve a three-year term. Commissioner Rapaport currently serves as Chairman. Ms. Evelyn V. McGill is the Commission’s Executive Director and Honorable James J. Szablewicz is the Commission’s Chief Deputy Commissioner.

An Oregon study, completed every other year, ranked Virginia as the tenth lowest cost system in the nation in 2018. Leading the way in electronic data and claims filing systems, in 2019 VWC processed over 48,000 claims and issued over 4,000 judicial opinions. VWC also administers the Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund, the Uninsured Employer’s Fund, and adjudicates claims under the Virginia Birth-Related Neurological Injury Compensation Program. Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, VWC operates regional offices in Bristol, Virginia Beach, Roanoke, Harrisonburg, Manassas and Fairfax.

For more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview, please email Charles Steepleton or call 877-664-2566.