It seems incomprehensible but for the past twenty years our workers’ compensation system has failed to acknowledge a paradox that exists regarding death benefits. The purpose of today’s blog is to explain the paradox to allow our readers to decide on the interpretation of their choice. We believe it is safe to state that most …
The Death Benefit Paradox: A 60-Second Seminar in Workers’ Compensation Claims HandlingRead More
We begin today’s blog by asking a simple question: if an injured worker lies to a workers’ compensation administrator, can that employee be charged with criminal fraud? The answer depends on the nature and extent of the lie. Some deceptions are of negligible import, while others are material and should lead to a criminal prosecution, …
Claims Adjuster Fraud: A 60-Second Seminar in Workers’ Compensation Claims HandlingRead More
In today’s world of workers’ compensation, it is common for claims administrators, insurance companies and law firms to use an out-of-state mailing address, which may result in a misunderstanding of our state’s mailbox rule and how it applies to extend response time. With that said, we will dedicate today’s blog to provide a timely discussion …
The Mailbox Rule: A 60-Second Seminar in Workers’ Compensation Claims HandlingRead More
Have you ever heard of the “Wimpy Syndrome”? It occurs every few years when our state legislature considers workers’ compensation reform. The Wimpy Syndrome is named after a fictional cartoon character prominently featured in the original Popeye the Sailor comic strips of the 1930’s. J. Wellington “Wimpy” is a gourmet of the finest hamburgers money can buy, …
The Wimpy Syndrome: A 60-Second Seminar in Workers’ Compensation Claims HandlingRead More
When attempting to settle an expensive/high exposure claim for workers’ compensation benefits have you considered a structured settlement funded by an annuity? If not, our blog today will be of interest as we will put to rest three prevailing myths about settling via an annuity. Note, to abide by our one-minute blog time limit we …
Every workers’ compensation claims examiner has likely been told that an injured worker may not collect temporary disability and state disability insurance (SDI) benefits at the same time. We can confidently state that every examiner who received such training was given inaccurate information, as it is perfectly legal under certain circumstances for an injured worker …
Collecting TD and SDI: A 60-Second Seminar in Workers’ Compensation Claims HandlingRead More
Surprisingly, workers’ compensation claims professionals continue to encounter problems administering the three-day temporary disability waiting period. One misunderstanding concern whether the waiting period is applied or waived when an injured worker returns to work on light duty at half-days immediately following an injury. In our blog today we will tackle some of the basic questions …
The Waiting Period: A 60-Second Seminar in Workers’ Compensation Claims HandlingRead More
It is common for employees to be injured when commuting on company business, and transportation injuries are typically deemed to be within the course and scope of employment. However, an exception exists if the accident occurs during what’s known under the law as a “deviation,” but many claims’ professionals may be surprised to learn that …
Deviation Injuries: A 60-Second Seminar in Workers’ Compensation Claims HandlingRead More
There is little doubt that offering light duty helps an employer control its workers’ compensation claims cost. Unfortunately, some injured workers would rather remain on disability than return to work. They offer a variety of imaginative excuses for not returning to work, and many often succeed. Employers are usually aware ahead of time which workers …
Offering Light Duty: A 60-Second Seminar in Workers’ Compensation Claims HandlingRead More
In a previously published blog, entitled “Physicians Who Quit Comp,” we cautioned the claims industry that a campaign was being conducted encouraging medical providers to withdraw from the workers’ compensation system. Specifically, we said: “Currently, an educational campaign is being waged within the medical community where physicians are being encouraged to leave workers’ compensation under …
Why Physicians Quit Comp: A 60-Second Seminar in Workers’ Compensation Claims HandlingRead More
It is common practice for applicant attorneys to file two applications for adjudication on behalf of an injured worker even when only one body part has been impacted. The first claim will identify a specific date of injury while the other will be for a continuous trauma to the same body part. It happens all …
Companion CT Claims: A 60-Second Seminar in Workers’ Compensation Claims HandlingRead More
Have you ever asked yourself, “Can medical treatment be streamlined by allowing the claims examiner to authorize medical services instead of involving Utilization Review (UR)”? Under current law examiners may authorize requested medical services but are not allowed to deny or modify treatment requests based on medical grounds. The examiner may only deny or delay …
Streamlining UR: A 60-Second Seminar in Workers’ Compensation Claims HandlingRead More
