November 18, 2016

Washington Supreme Court Affirms Rule Giving Attending Physicians “Special Consideration”

Earlier this year, the case of Clark County vs. McManus went before the Washington State Supreme Court, ultimately raising the question of whether the “special consideration” jury instruction be treated as discretionary or mandatory. The “special consideration” instruction requires that testimony from injured workers’attending physicians be given careful thought or special consideration by the fact finder be that the Department, a judge, or a jury. The case surrounds Patrick McManus, a Clark County street sweeper who, after working between 1999 and 2011, had to quit due to a degenerative spinal disease affecting his lower back. The Department of Labor and […]
November 4, 2016

A Study Published in The Journal of Pain Finds Tai Chi can Ease Chronic Neck Pain

Essen, Germany – Tai chi, a low-impact martial art that features slow and meditative movements, can be as useful as conventional exercises in alleviating neck pain, according to researchers from the University of Duisburg-Essen. In a study of 114 adults who had chronic neck pain for three consecutive months, the researchers placed participants in one of three groups. One group performed tai chi for 75 to 90 minutes per week, another performed conventional neck exercises for 75 to 90 minutes per week, and a third group received no treatment. Results showed that participants who did tai chi reported significantly less […]
October 14, 2016

Oklahoma Supreme Court Rules in favor of Injured Workers

Earlier this month, the Oklahoma Supreme Court struck down the Opt Out provision of Oklahoma’s State workers’ compensation law, ruling in favor of injured workers. The 2013 legislation gave qualified employers the option to create treatment plans outside of the regular workers’ compensation system. The case involved Johnie Yvonne Vasquez, a department store employee who filed a claim for an injury to her neck and shoulder she sustained at work in 2014. Her employer, which had opted out of the state system and written their own plan, denied her claim. Vasquez sued and the Oklahoma Worker’s Compensation Commission agreed in a decision in February that the Statecannot allow […]
September 20, 2016

Congratulations to our own Christine Foster

Christine A. Foster Has Been Nominated and Accepted as 2016 AIOLC’s 10 Best Workers’ Compensation Attorney in Washington For Client Satisfaction. The American Institute Of Legal Counsel has recognized the exceptional performance of Washington’s Workers’ Compensation Attorney Christine A. Foster as 2016 10 Best Legal Counsel for Client Satisfaction. The American Institute Of Legal Counsel is a third-party attorney rating organization that publishes an annual list of Top 10 Workers’ Compensation Attorney in each state. Attorneys who are selected to the "10 Best" list must pass AIOLC’s rigorous selection process, which is based on client and/or peer nominations, thorough research, and AIOLC’s […]
August 25, 2016

VOCATIONAL BENEFITS: Understanding This Valuable but Discretionary Benefit

In the State of Washington, injured workers who have sustained an industrial injury or developed an occupational disease resulting in permanent physical and/or mental limitations may wonder about their ability to receive vocationalrehabilitation (retraining) benefits.  Access to vocational services is not a guaranteed benefit; vocational services areprovided at the sole discretion of the Director of the Department of Labor and Industries when vocational rehabilitation is determined to be both necessary and likely to make the injured worker employable at gainful employment.  (http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=51.32.095)  If the Director determines that vocational rehabilitation is necessary and likely to make the injured worker employable at gainful employment, a specific set of vocational […]
August 8, 2016

Foster Law welcomes Dougal Neralich

We are pleased to announce Mr. Dougal Tukten Neralich has joined Foster Law PC. Mr. Neralich has dedicated his legal career to representing those most in need; his primary focus has always been trial advocacy. Mr. Neralich received his undergraduate degree from the University of Arkansas in Anthropology in 2004. After graduation, Mr. Neralich began work with disadvantaged, runaway, and homeless teenagers until deciding to go to law school at Seattle University School of Law. He earned his law degree from Seattle University in 2013 and immediately began practicing in Fairbanks, Alaska as a public defender providing zealous legal representation to otherwise underrepresented and marginalized populations in the interior of […]