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If you have a work-related injury or illness, your employer is required by law to pay for workers’ compensation benefits. You could get hurt by: One event at work, such as hurting your back in a fall or getting hurt in a car accident while making deliveries. Repeated exposures at work, such as hurting your […]

California Applicants’ Attorneys Association Workers’ Comp Fraud Harms Injured Workers SACRAMENTO, CA – The California Applicants’ Attorneys Association (CAAA), whose members represent Californians injured on the job, today responded to the indictment of Sen. Ron Calderon and the guilty plea by Dr. Michael Drobot for workers’ compensation fraud. CAAA President Jim Butler said, “When workers’ […]

Experts Address Medical Treatment Dispute Resolution

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Reggie Williams‘ movements are as labored as his breathing. While others walk the halls of the state Capitol with apparent ease, the 58-year-old former Cincinnati Bengals linebacker struggles to get around. He has a crutch under each arm, and his strides are uneven because his right leg is three inches shorter than […]

One of the peculiar laws in the California workers’ compensation system (and there are many) is the Qualified Medical Examiner (QME) process. The QME system was devised, as are so many things in comp, to eliminate a pervasive problem – but has itself become a pervasive problem, because, like we see so often, those who […]

RE: Meds. Opiod use – Overdosing on Opioids: Thousands Die from Prescription Pain Medications Every Year Pharmaceutical companies are often accused of contributing to American’s overusing medications because of the companies’ ubiquitous advertising. But in a all Street Journal article, a 1990’s advocate of pain medication has done a 180-degree turn in his thinking, perhaps […]

California SB 863 Reforms: UR and the New IMR So, 2013 is just around the corner and we are gearing up to learn the new law and regulations so that we can apply them in our cases. We have an interim period between now and July 1, 2013 when disputes over medical necessity under utilization […]

DWC Posts Reform Bill FAQ The California Division of Workers’ Compensation added a new page to the Senate Bill 863 page of its website that answers frequently asked questions about the reform bill that takes effect Jan. 1, 2013. The FAQ page provides basic information including a brief description saying the measure was developed through […]

FLASH REPORT! Workers’ Comp Reform Bill Signed Gov. Jerry Brown has signed SB 863, the comprehensive workers’ comp reform bill that Sen. Kevin DeLeon (D-Los Angeles) sponsored. Brown’s administration worked behind the scenes to assure its passage. The negotiated deal between big labor and big business sets into motion a process designed to lower costs […]

URGENT ACTION ALERT – NO ON SB 863 (De Leon) DON’T REDUCE PERMANENT DISABILITY COMPENSATION FOR SERIOUSLY INJURED WORKERS! CONTACT YOUR STATE SENATOR OR ASSEMBLY MEMBER, NOW! Monday, August 27, 2012 The latest version of the Brown Administration’s proposed changes has been inserted into SB 863 (DeLeon and Solorio) and it is fatally flawed. During the final […]

The QME Process: Forensic Reform or Doctor Roulette By: Marjory Harris, Esq. SB 899 changed the way parties could obtain forensic evaluations of disputed medical issues. For injuries occurring on or after 1/1/05, the parties were limited to one Qualified Medical Evaluator per injury, to be chosen from a panel of three names. If the […]

Will Workers’ Compensation Survive Obamacare? What will Obamacare do to Workers’ Compensation? These are issues that will affect both employees and employers in the waves of entrepreneurial companies emerging in 2013 and 2014. Of a certainty, we can expect many intended and unintended affects. Forbes staffer Daniel Fisher did an excellent job of delving into […]

CCWC Says 2012 is Employers’ Best Year for Reform By Greg Jones, Western Bureau Chief ANAHEIM, Calif. — Management should take advantage of a favorable political environment and push for reform legislation in 2012, according to the lobbyist for the California Coalition on Workers’ Compensation. Jason Schmelzer, during his annual mid-session legislative update at the […]

DON FRANCISCO SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION Published: Wednesday, November 30, 2011 at 11:10 p.m. Last Modified: Wednesday, November 30, 2011 at 11:10 p.m. I have good news to share with the millions of Americans who prefer to conduct business in Spanish. You can now apply online for Social Security retirement and Medicare benefits totally in Spanish. […]

Compassionate Allowances List of Compassionate Allowances Conditions Social Security has an obligation to provide benefits quickly to applicants whose medical conditions are so serious that their conditions obviously meet disability standards. Compassionate Allowances (CAL) are a way of quickly identifying diseases and other medical conditions that invariably qualify under the Listing of Impairments based on […]

The minimum and maximum temporary total disability (TTD) rates for 2013 will increase on Jan. 1, 2013. The minimum TTD rate will increase to $160.00 and the maximum TTD rate will increase to $1,066.72 per week. Labor Code section 4453(a)(10) requires the rate for TTD be increased by an amount equal to the percentage increase […]

The rapid escalation in the use of opioids in California’s workers’ comp industry is not only raising concerns about drug diversion and addiction among injured workers, but is also spawning one of the industry’s fastest growing sectors – drug testing. New research indicates that over the past eight years drug testing has grown by over […]

FLASH REPORT! Gov. Brown’s Revised Budget Calls For Longer, But Fewer Workdays Share: Gov. Jerry Brown’s revised budget proposal wants to revamp the way the state does business by keeping offices and agencies open longer to serve the public outside of normal business hours, but would save 5% on salaries by cutting workers overall hours. […]

The Oklahoma House of Representatives late Wednesday voted down an a bill passed by the Senate that would have allowed employers to offer alternative benefit plans and opt out of the state workers’ compensation system. Log on to WorkCompCentral to read a breaking news alert.

Frustrations with medical provider networks, QMEs, liens and some interesting attorney activity taking root in Fresno greeted administrative director of the Division of Workers’ Compensation Rosa Moran at Fresno’s City Hall. It was the fourth workers’ comp listening tour the administration has held this month. Roughly 130 people signed up to hear what defense attorneys, […]