The case of a Pennsylvania woman whose workers’ compensation claim petition was reversed is an important reminder of how critical it is to report your work injury immediately to your employer. A worker claimed that after cleaning 42 tanning beds in one day, she experienced numbness in her right arm…
We read an interesting article this week on Pittsburgh’s Post-Gazette.com on the misclassification of employees. According to the article, the state’s Unemployment Compensation fund is being underfunded because about 9 percent of the state’s workforce are misclassified as independent contractors. By categorizing a worker as an independent contractor, a company…
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the miners who were killed in the tragic accident in West Virginia. As residents of the coal region here in Schuylkill County, we are all too familiar with the risks and dangers associated with working in the mines. On the…
We read an interesting blog this week on ThePopTort.com. It brings to light the effect that judicial elections can have on injured workers, using the example of a law that was recently passed in Ohio. We recommend that you click on the link below to read the full article: http://www.thepoptort.com/2010/03/judicial-elections-have-consequences.html
The website RiskandInsurance.com recently discussed a ruling by the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board that upheld the denial of a worker’s petition for benefits because he did not establish an employer-employee relationship. According to the article, the worker was a plumber who injured his arm while on the job. The…
According to a recent ruling by the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, a workers’ compensation insurer can suspend benefits when an injured worker refuses to enter a detox program… even if the program will not treat the worker’s medical condition or help him or her return to employment. The ruling arose…
According to an article on the OCRegister.com, a Murietta, CA roofing contractor pleaded guilty to 16 felony counts, including perjury, filing false documents, and making false statements, for failing to provide workers’ comp insurance for an employee who injured himself. The article reported that, according to prosecutors, the roofing contractor…
A Pennsylvania appeals court ruled that Kraft Foods Inc. could not reduce a workers’ compensation claimant’s partial disability benefits because it did not provide any evidence of actual job openings that were available to the claimant. In February 2004, the claimant injured his right knee while employed as a utility…
Earlier this month, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L & I) announced that the statewide average weekly wage for injuries occurring on and after Jan. 1, 2010 would be $845 per week. The average weekly wage for 2009 was $836. According to the L & I website, under…
MercuryNews.com of San Jose, CA recently reported that three executives and a foreman of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning installation company in Hollister, CA are facing felony charges of forcing employees to return more than $170,000 in salary from public projects in Santa Clara County. The charges against the…