What happens when you are severely injured at work but are not deemed 100% disabled from that injury alone – yet can’t find a job because of the injury and other disabilities? For injured workers with prior injuries and a qualifying Subsequent Industrial Injury (“SII”), they may be able to obtain benefits from a Subsequent…
Beginning January 1, 2023, peace officers, fire fighters, and other qualified public servants in the State of California (and the attorneys who represent them) will have new tools to ensure that workers’ compensation claims administrators fairly and timely handle claims involving legal presumptions for these employees. A “presumption” effects the burden of proof. Typically, an…
What is the Supplemental Job Displacement Benefit (SJDB) retraining Voucher A retraining voucher (formally a Supplemental Job Displacement Benefit or SJDB Voucher) is designed to help injured workers retrain for different careers or positions. It is not required in every case. It’s designed to cover the costs of retraining (within limits) if an injury causes…
My earlier post covered issues that arise earlier in a case (AWW, TD, PTPs, WPI, RFAs, UR and IMR). Later in a case, you might encounter one or some of the following situations (with their associated acronyms): P&S—Permanent and Stationary A Permanent and Stationary (P&S) determination can be made by a Primary Treating Physician (PTP),…
Imagine being injured so badly at work that your doctor tells you to stay home. Or, your doctor gives you work restrictions and your employer cannot meet them. You should get paid until you can return to your job or another job. Right? While that makes logical sense, unfortunately, few things in a workers’ compensation…
As with many things in law, the answer is, it depends. The more cynical answer is, yes, but the insurance controls the doctors on the list. So, how good is that list going to be? We call these lists Medical Provider Networks or MPNs. Each workers’ compensation insurance carrier, administrator, or self-insured employer (we will…
There are a few things injured workers should expect. Medical treatment and pay for time lost due to the injury among them. Often not expected, however, is the paperwork and regulations buried in a sea of acronyms. Here, we will discuss some of those acronyms along with some relevant notes. TD—Temporary Disability Temporary Disability (TD)…