The Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) is an insurance company-funded organization which, for years, has been reporting that doctors in the Maryland workers’ comp system were dispensing 40% of all workers’ comp prescriptions, and were capturing 55% of all dollars paid for these prescriptions. This, according to WCRI, was driving up costs in the workers’…
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If an injured worker is released by her doctor to full duty work, with no restrictions, the employer can not only terminate Workers’ Compensation wage-loss benefits, they can also terminate the employee in Virginia — a “right to work” state. On the other hand, if the injured worker has any restrictions by his or her…
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Earlier this year, we posted about an NPR series condemning our nation’s workers’ comp system. A day after that ProPublica/NPR story hit the airwaves, the federal government’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a report that agrees with much of the criticisms. The OSHA report says that changes in workers’ compensation have made it…
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In the North Seattle area, a woman found out the hard way why you should never ignore a lawsuit. Her neighbor had filed a lawsuit against her claiming the sound of her barking dog was causing him “profound emotional distress.” He filed a 36 page complaint in which he states the dog’s bark reached 128…
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In order to save money and serve remote areas, the federal government has made a move towards holding video taped Hearings for Social Security disability applicants. In the video hearings, the federal Administrative Law Judge may be located in a city far from the hearing site, and even the vocational expert or other participants may…
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