Workers' Compensation

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Tobacco Industry Argues Against New Cigarette Warnings

Big Tobacco continues to argue against the Federal requirement of new dramatic warnings of cigarette packs. Tobacco is the a leading contributing cause for death in the workplace.

Click here to read more from Jurist blog....

"A panel of judges for the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit [official website] heard oral arguments on Tuesday over the constitutionality of newFood and Drug Administration (FDA) [official website] regulations [text] requiring cigarette packaging and advertisements to display more prominent graphic health warning labels [materials]. A federal judge issued a permanent injunction [JURIST report] last month prohibiting the warnings as unconstitutional. The new requirements of graphic image and textual warning labels were imposed by the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (FSPTCA) [HR 1256 text].

Washington Workers' Advisor Blog Launched

A new blog, Washington Workers' Advisor, has been launched to provide information about law, policy and safety in the workplace. Jay Causey, of the Causey Law Firm said, that the "blog will apply decades of legal experience and expertise to keep the reader informed about trends and developments in workers' compensation law, social security disability, maritime claims, and other legal issues important to working people."

Attorney Jay Causey has practiced for over 30 years in the area of workers' compensation and disability law, including Washington State workers' compensation claims, Social Security Disability cases, Longshore and Harbor workers' Act cases, Defense Base Act claims, and maritime injury. The Causey Law Firm, located in Seattle, Washington, is a nationally recognized firm serving clients in Washington State. It exclusively represents individuals who have been injured or have become disabled.

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Wednesday, April 11, 2012

GAO Releases Report on Medicare Secondary Recovery Procedures

The US Government Accounting Office has released a report concerning the efficiency of the Medicare Secondary Recovery process.

Identified Issues:

Contractor performance. Challenges related to the timeliness of the MSPRC and WCRC were identified, including significant increases in the time required to complete important tasks. CMS reported taking steps to address the challenges with each of these contractors’ performance.

Demand and recovery issues. Challenges were identified related to the timing of demand amounts, the cost-effectiveness of recovery efforts, and the amounts of Medicare demands from liability settlements. CMS reported taking steps to address some, but not all, of these challenges.

Mandatory reporting. Key challenges were identified with certain aspects of mandatory reporting: determining whether individuals are Medicare beneficiaries, supplying diagnostic codes related to individuals’ injuries, and reporting all liability settlement amounts. CMS reported taking steps to address some, but not all, of these challenges.

CMS guidance and communication. Key challenges were identified related to CMS guidance and communication about the MSP process, guidance on Medicare set-aside arrangements, and beneficiary rights and responsibilities. CMS has taken few steps to address these challenges.

Click here to read the complete report:

"To improve the MSP program, GAO is making recommendations to improve the cost-effectiveness of recovery, decrease the reporting burden for NGHPs, and improve communications with NGHP stakeholders. CMS agreed with these recommendations."

Company Faces Fine for Failing to Inform Residents about the Presence of Lead-based Paint and its Dangers

Lead paint at worksites remains a clear and present danger to workers. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued a complaint against CRM Rental Management, Inc. of Rome, N.Y. for not informing residents of its buildings about potential lead-based paint in their apartments.

It is estimated that three-quarters of U.S. residential dwellings built before 1978 contain some lead-based paint. Infants and young children are especially vulnerable to lead-based paint exposure, which can cause IQ deficiencies, reading and learning disabilities, impaired hearing, reduced attention spans, hyperactivity and behavioral problems. CRM Rental Management faces over $140,000 in potential fines for 43 instances in which the company failed to properly inform residents of four buildings in New Hartford and Rome, New York about the potential presence of lead-based paint.

“Lead paint is a serious threat to children’s health and disclosure can arm families with information they need to protect their kids,” said Judith A. Enck, EPA Regional Administrator. "Rental agents, property managers and building owners are required to follow EPA lead paint disclosure requirements and make sure people are aware of potential lead hazards in homes.”

Lead poisoning remains one of the most prevalent threats to children's well-being but it is also one of the most preventable. Under federal law, families have the right to know whether there are any potential lead-paint hazards in a prospective home, and must be informed about the harm lead can inflict on small children. Pregnant women and children younger than age six are among the most vulnerable to adverse health risks from lead-based paint.

EPA regulations require real estate management companies and property owners that sell or rent housing built before 1978 to provide renters or buyers with a form that contains a warning about the dangers of lead-based paint and discloses information about its presence. People renting or buying an apartment or home must verify that they received the required warning and disclosure information, including the EPA pamphlet, Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home.Prospective purchasers have a 10-day opportunity to assess the property for risks for the presence of lead-based paint.

The complaint against CRM Rental Management alleges that the company failed to provide residents with lead-based paint warning and disclosure statements, making them aware of records or reports that would alert them to potential lead-based paint hazards, and secure required signatures verifying that the required information was received.

In collaboration with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Centers for Disease Control, EPA operates the National Lead Information Center, including a toll-free hotline that can be reached at 1-800-424-LEAD (5323).

For more information on lead and the risks posed by lead paint, visit: http://www.epa.gov/lead......

For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman 1.973.696.7900jon@gelmans.com have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered work related accident and injuries.

Federal RICO Claim Not Preempted by a State Workers Compensation Act

The US 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, in a landmark case of widespread significance, has held that a State may not preempt a Federal cause of action under the RICO [Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act] statute by asserting that workers' compensation claims are exclusive to State jurisdiction. In long and convoluted history, workers in Michigan have asserted that their employer and its workers' compensation carrier, Crawford & Company, and its experts, ie. "cut off doctor," sought to conspire to defeat their pending claims, "property interest," for benefits under the Michigan state workers' compensation act.

Click here to read: Brown et al. v. Cassens Transport Co. et al., 6th Cir Ct of Appeals,http://www.ca6.uscourts.gov/opinions.pdf/12a0095p-06.pdf Decided, April 6, 2012 (Michigan).

"The flaw with the defendants’ argument is that the predicate offense for the RICO action is mail fraud, not the denial of worker’s compensation. “The gravamen of [a] RICO cause of action is not the violation of state law, but rather certain conduct, illegal under state law, which, when combined with an impact on commerce, constitutes a violation of federal law. Therefore, it is not alleged that [the defendants are] subject to ‘liability under’ the [state law]; their liability . . . stems from RICO.” Williams v. Stone, 109 F.3d 890, 895 (3d Cir.), cert. denied, 522 U.S. 956 (1997). The district court here erred when it stated that this case does not “involve[] a separate and independent tort (theft or conversion or some similar claim)” because the plaintiffs “cannot disentangle their RICO claim from their underlying claim for benefits.” 743 F. Supp. 2d at 666, 668."

For more information and analysis of this case click here: Workers' Compensation Blog

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For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman 1.973.696.7900 jon@gelmans.com have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered work related accident and injuries.

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Tuesday, April 10, 2012

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month

April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and from Virginia to California, the traffic safety community has a simple message for drivers: One Text or Call could Wreck it All.

Workers' Compensation Court will be challenged to deal with injuries caused by distracted driving especially as employers come on board and ban their use while driving and Federal Regulations prohibit such use.

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Trending: Opting-Out of Workers' Compensation

Opting-out of workers' compensation coverage is now a significant national trend. The opt outs are both through a legitimate elective process and a de-facto scheme.

The opt-out process arose through a legislative process over a decade ago when Massachusetts legislation permitted the option to elect out of the mandatory workers' compensation system. Since then it has grown through both legitimate and illegitimate expansion. Some legislators have proposed that religious organizations should now be permitted to not obtain coverage.

In March the expanding trend to opt-out of the workers' compensation system took a major leap as large employers began to leave the system and offer less benefits to injured workers. Walmart, one of the largest employers in Texas has made the election to leave the system. Within the last two years other large employers have exited the system, including Target, seeking to reduce costs through a private non-workers' compensation plan.

Some states have reported increasingly high rates of uninsured workers. The enforcement and collection activities, are unfortunately both time consuming and expensive and are usually conducted after the fact.

A de-facto opt-out process is also occurring nationally through a process of misclassification of workers. Employees are designated by employers as independent contractors and consultants to avoid mandatory coverage and taxes. In North Carolina it has been reported that 30,000 business do not have mandatory workers' compensation coverage. The system attempts to avoid the tedious and time consuming process to seek workers' compensation benefits, and instead employees seek benefits from alternative sources including major medical plans, Medicare and social security. Temporary disability plans and major medical plans act as coverage for loss time and treatment. Employee are willing to fore go permanent disability inorder to get certain and immediate medical care and lost time benefits. Many employees have no idea that workers' compensation pays for permanent disability. The aging workforce assumes that Social Security Disability is a more user-friendly system to navigate.

The growing trend of opting out of the workers' compensation system is of concern to all. Why this is occurring in a system that was designed to protect both the worker and the employer needs to be identified and addressed.

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