On January 13, the North Carolina Department of Labor announced that 53 people died on the job in North Carolina in 2011. Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry was quoted as saying: “the real tragedy is that all of the these fatalities could have been avoided.” I wholeheartedly agree. 53 deaths is 53 too many. When I see news [...]
Several years ago I had a client in North Carolina who was an insurance man. While taking some papers out of the back of his car at work he slipped, hit his head and developed a neurological conditon called “Dystonia.” I did some research and discovered that it is a disorder that affects the nervous [...]
As you have seen me mention several times on this blog, the failure of many employers to play by the rules continues to plague the nation’s workers'’ compensation system. In one type of fraud, known as misclassification, employers incorrectly designate workers' as outside consultants or independent contractors. When workers' are misclassified, insurance companies do not [...]
As a workers’ compensation lawyer, by the time clients come to me they have often already had a series of frustrating interactions with their employers, insurance adjusters and sometimes even medical professionals. Clients come to me feeling stressed by these experiences. My adversaries are not always easy to negotiate with, and over a long career [...]
Last week Margaret Anderson, a Park Ranger at Mount Ranier National Park, was killed by an Iraq war veteran who may have been suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Her tragic death reminded me of several workers’ I have represented who had this condition after experiencing and/or witnessing horrific trauma in the workplace. One [...]
When we hear about workplace fraud, most of us think of a worker faking an injury to receive benefits that he or she does not deserve. While that kind of fraud does exist, it is minor compared to the big money lost to fraud from companies. The big money lost to fraud comes from companies, [...]
We normally focus on workplace safety, but during the holidays, many of our readers will spend time at home with their families. Holiday decorations are an important tradition, but these decorations, both new and old, can turn a festive holiday into a dangerous one. These important tips will show you how to make your holiday [...]
Today’s post comes to just from my colleague Jon Gelman of New Jersey. The Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set-aside Portal (WCMSAP) application has gone “live” and is now available for users. WCMSAP allows submitters of Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set-Aside Arrangements (WCMSAs) to directly enter case information, upload documentation, and receive case status information through the use of [...]
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzT6ZGp3eKQ] Last September I invited Dan Reilly from the Teamsters to give a continuing legal education talk at the annual conference of the Workers’ Injury Law & Advocacy Group. Dan presented on the topic of employer fraud, and in particular on an increasingly common practice known as misclassification. The video above is just a [...]
Today’s post comes to us from my colleague Jon Gelman of New Jersey. For decades railroad equipment, including engines, were heavily insulated with asbestos fiber, a known carcinogen and causally related to mesothelioma, a rare and fatal cancer. Many lawsuits have been filed by victims and their families to recover benefits against the suppliers, manufacturers [...]