Written by: Carolina Martin Under Tennessee Workers’ Compensation law, an employee is entitled to lifetime medical treatment made reasonable and necessary by their compensable workplace injuries. This can be a daunting prospect for employers, especially in cases where the injured worker is young and the contemplated period of entitlement to these benefits spans several decades. However, except for cases where the employee was deemed permanently and totally disabled, the

Written by: Rayford H. Taylor, Esq. Reference: Gallardo v. Marstiller, Secretary of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, Case No. 20-1263, U.S. S.Ct., June 6, 2022. Ms. Gianinna Gallardo suffered catastrophic injuries resulting in a permanent disability when a truck struck her as she stepped off a school bus in Florida. Florida’s Medicaid agency paid $862,688.77 to cover Ms. Gallardo’s initial medical expenses, and the agency continued to pay

Written by: William T. Goran The “One-Time change” statute, Florida statute 440.13 (2)(f), allows an injured worker one opportunity per claim to obtain an alternative physician for the authorized physician. The carrier must follow specific procedures in their response to the request and if they fail to do so, the claimant will have the right to designate the authorized treating physician and thereby take control of the medical care

Written by: Daniel Richardson, Esq.  Last month Governor Brian Kemp signed into law House Bill 1409 which includes a few simple, but important changes for workers’ compensation in Georgia. The law provides for an increase in the maximum Temporary Total Disability (TTD) and Permanent Partial Disability (PPD) rates from $675.00 per week to $725.00 per week. The maximum TPD rate will increase from $450.00 to $483.00 per week. Also,

Written By: Daniel Richardson On October 27, 2021, OSHA published in the Federal Register an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) on the issue of Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings. According to this Notice, heat is the leading cause of death among all weather-related phenomena. “Excessive heat exacerbates existing health problems like asthma, kidney failure, and heart disease, and can cause heat stroke

Written by: Margaret “Meg” H. Donahue, Esq. On March 23, 2022 The SC Workers' Compensation Commission issued this advisory notice clarifying information to be included on the Form 19 at the close of a claim. The Commission has determined that expenses that are not specifically medical care and treatment are being included on Line 6, Total Medical Benefits Paid. The Commission requests that only costs for actual medical products

Written by: Rayford H. Taylor, Esq. The Employee, in the case of Noa v. City of Aventura and Florida League of Cities, appealed an Order of the judge of compensation claims (JCC) denying an increase in her average weekly wage (AWW).  The Employee contended she was entitled to include a pro rata share of her annual merit bonus in the calculation of her AWW for the thirteen weeks prior

Written by: Rayford Taylor, Esq.  The Hampton case established the mere fact an attorney fee amount has not been established does not prohibit the Statute of Limitations from operating to defeat payment of additional benefits.  The Tejeda case reaffirmed that a claimant who voluntarily changed their authorized physician cannot return to the prior physician for treatment and require the employer/carrier to pay for that unauthorized treatment. Hospitals East, LLC, et

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – January 5, 2022 – Hall Booth Smith, P.C. has named 11 attorneys to Partner as the firm recognizes the dedication, hard work and leadership of the senior attorneys. The attorneys who join the firm's partnership as of January 1 are: David W. Badie, a Partner based in Saddle Brook, New Jersey, who concentrates his practice on health care and the defense of medical malpractice matters Sandra

Written by: Peter Skaily, Esq. One of the most important aspects of any workers' compensation claim is control of medical treatment. The employer/insurer will want the claimant to treat with a provider from the panel of physicians. On the other hand, the claimant will want to treat with an off-panel, claimant-friendly physician. A common way for the claimant to argue entitlement to treatment with an off-panel, claimant-friendly physician is