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Worker’s Compensation
October 14, 2016
Published by Christine Foster on October 14, 2016
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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 […]
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August 25, 2016
Published by Christine Foster on August 25, 2016
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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 […]
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July 29, 2016
Published by Christine Foster on July 29, 2016
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Working with the Department of Labor and Industries can be daunting- but being proactive in your claim can help ensure you get the maximum benefits you’re entitled to. Follow these tips to assist in your claim, and seek the assistance of an experienced Workers’ Compensation attorney to further alleviate the inevitable stress of being unable to work and having a Worker’s Compensation claim. 1. File your claim with the Department of Labor & Industries on time. Washington State L & I regulation requires that a claim be filed with the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries within 1 year from the date of the accident. In the […]
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November 16, 2015
Published by Christine Foster on November 16, 2015
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Bullies, we picture in our minds “Biff”, the bully from the Back to the Future movies, a big brute who always picked on the little guy in high school. But for many, the workplace isn’t high school and the stakes are a lot higher than being on the receiving end of childish pranks. For employers, the workplace bully can just as easily be Secretary Sally or Director Don and, believe it or not, they are silently costing your company thousands of dollars. What Is Workplace Bullying? Workplace bullying is a pattern of behavior that harms, intimidates, undermines, offends, degrades or humiliates […]
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November 12, 2015
Published by Christine Foster on November 12, 2015
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Since 1996, twenty-three states and Washington D.C. have passed laws allowing for the medical use of marijuana for specific medical conditions, one of them being chronic pain. However, during this period of time marijuana has remained a Schedule I substance at the federal level, which is defined as the following: “Schedule I drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Schedule I drugs are the most dangerous drugs of all the drug schedules with potentially severe psychological or physical dependence.” In the twenty three states where medical marijuana […]
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October 6, 2015
Published by Christine Foster on October 6, 2015
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If you have suffered a workplace injury and those involved were not your employers, you may be entitled to file a third-party liability claim. The following is a brief description of what a third party is and whether a third party liability claim may be sought. What Constitutes a Third Party? In a workplace injury, the third party is someone other than a co-worker or employer. It could be a manufacturer, another individual, a municipality, another company or a vendor — anyone who, due to negligence, may have participated or caused the work-related injury or illness. What Is Third Party […]
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